Introduction to Enumerative and Analytic Combinatorics: (Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications)

Introduction to Enumerative and Analytic Combinatorics fills the gap between introductory texts in discrete mathematics and advanced graduate texts in enumerative combinatorics. The book first deals with basic counting principles, compositions and partitions, and generating functions. It then focuses on the structure of permutations, graph enumerat

Table of Contents:
Basic methods. Applications of basic methods. Generating functions. Counting permutations. Counting graphs. Extremal combinatorics. Analytic combinatorics. Symmetric structures. Sequences in combinatorics. Counting magic squares and magic cubes. Appendix: The method of mathematical induction.

About the Author :
Miklos Bona received his Ph.D in mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1997. Since 1999, he has taught at the University of Florida, where, in 2010, he was inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Teaching Scholars. Professor Bona has mentored numerous graduate and undergraduate students. He is the author of four books and more than 65 research articles, mostly focusing on enumerative and analytic combinatorics. His book, Combinatorics of Permutations, won a 2006 Outstanding Title Award from Choice, the journal of the American Library Association. He is also an editor-in-chief for the Electronic Journal of Combinatorics, and for two book series at CRC Press.

Review :
Bona's work is a superb text for any reader learning the vast topic of combinatorics. It includes a well-written description of the fundamentals of combinatorics and several chapters of applications. Each chapter concludes with a list of important formulas available for future reference and a lengthy list of exercises. These exercises are quite comprehensive in that they include a wide range of topics, many exploring other interesting topics unexplained in the text. Most of these exercises are accompanied by complete, well-explained solutions to assist struggling readers. One of the best aspects of the book is the conversational tone in which it is written. When reading through the numerous proofs in the text, readers will feel as though they are actually in the classroom with Bona (Univ. of Florida). His explanations are clear and concise, and his dry humor is both entertaining and essential to the text's development. People spreading rumors, wearing colorful hats, and embarking on hazardous vacations are much more enjoyable to count than indistinguishable balls in jars. This work is an excellent addition to the combinatorics library. --A. Misseldine, Southern Utah University