A mathematical gem-freshly cleaned and polished This book is intended to be used as the text for a first course in combinatorics. the text has been shaped by two goals, namely, to make complex mathematics accessible to students with a wide range of abilities, interests, and motivations; and to create a pedagogical tool, useful to the broad spectrum of instructors who bring a variety of perspectives and expectations to such a course.

Features retained from the first edition:



Lively and engaging writing style
Timely and appropriate examples
Numerous well-chosen exercises
Flexible modular format
Optional sections and appendices

Highlights of Second Edition enhancements:



Smoothed and polished exposition, with a sharpened focus on key ideas
Expanded discussion of linear codes
New optional section on algorithms
Greatly expanded hints and answers section
Many new exercises and examples