This book brings together the personal accounts and reflections of nineteen mathematical model-builders, whose specialty is probabilistic modelling. The reader may well wonder why, apart from personal interest, one should commission and edit such a collection of articles. There are, of course, many reasons, but perhaps the three most relevant are: (i) a philosophicaJ interest in conceptual models; this is an interest shared by everyone who has ever puzzled over the relationship between thought and reality; (ii) a conviction, not unsupported by empirical evidence, that probabilistic modelling has an important contribution to make to scientific research; and finally (iii) a curiosity, historical in its nature, about the complex interplay between personal events and the development of a field of mathematical research, namely applied probability. Let me discuss each of these in turn. Philosophical Abstraction, the formation of concepts, and the construction of conceptual models present us with complex philosophical problems which date back to Democritus, Plato and Aristotle. We have all, at one time or another, wondered just how we think; are our thoughts, concepts and models of reality approxim&tions to the truth, or are they simply functional constructs helping us to master our environment? Nowhere are these problems more apparent than in mathematical model ling, where idealized concepts and constructions replace the imperfect realities for which they stand."

The statistical theory of shape is a relatively new topic and is generating a great deal of interest and comment by statisticians, engineers and computer scientists. Mathematically, ‘shape’ is the geometrical information required to describe an object when location, scale and rotational effects are removed. The theory was pioneered by Professor David Kendall to solve practical problems concerning shape. This text presents an elegant account of the theory of shape that has evolved from Kendall’s work. Features include:

• A comprehensive account of Kendall’s shape spaces
• A variety of topological and geometric invariants of these spaces
• Emphasis on the mathematical aspects of shape analysis
• Coverage of the mathematical issues for a wide range of applications

The early chapters provide all the necessary background information, including the history and applications of shape theory. The authors then go on to analyse the topic, in brilliant detail, in a variety of different shape spaces. Kendall’s own procedures for visualising distributions of shapes and shape processes are covered at length. Implications from other branches of mathematics are explored, along with more advanced applications, incorporating statistics and stochastic analysis. Applied statisticians, applied mathematicians, engineers and computer scientists working and researching in the fields of archaeology, astronomy, biology, geography and physical chemistry will find this book of great benefit. The theories presented are used today in a wide range of subjects from archaeology through to physics, and will provide fascinating reading to anyone engaged in such research. Visit our web page! http://www.wiley.com/