Cambridge Studies in Advanced Mathematics, Volume 49

This book, the first of a two-volume basic introduction to enumerative combinatorics, concentrates on the theory and application of generating functions, a fundamental tool in enumerative combinatorics. Richard Stanley covers those parts of enumerative combinatorics with the greatest applications to other areas of mathematics. The four chapters are devoted to an accessible introduction to enumeration, sieve methods--including the Principle of Inclusion-Exclusion, partially ordered sets, and rational generating functions. A large number of exercises, almost all with solutions, augment the text and provide entry into many areas not covered directly. Graduate students and research mathematicians who wish to apply combinatorics to their work will find this an authoritative reference.