An Invitation to Combinatorics

'I would certainly accept this 'invitation.' The text covers essentially all of the basic combinatorial subjects in a both gentle and intense way. The extensive problems, examples, and 'projects,' especially the collaborative projects, exemplify current pedagogical research on effective teaching methods. I would expect it to remain as a reference on many shelves.' Bruce Rothschild, University of California, Los Angeles 'Shahriari's voice as an experienced classroom teacher shines through in this brilliantly crafted student-friendly text. Each mini-project provides a guided exploration of an interesting topic in combinatorics. These, together with the plethora of interesting exercises, help the student to build problem-solving muscle and to experience the joy of mathematical discovery.' Jamie Pommersheim, Reed College 'From well-chosen motivating problems in the introduction to deeper material near the book's conclusion, Shahriari invites students encountering combinatorics systematically for the first time to think, to build, and to play. His warm writing style and cross-cultural approach to core topics of the field are sure to engage readers from many backgrounds and levels of preparation.' Joshua Cooper, University of South Carolina 'This book is a mathematically rigorous introductory textbook on combinatorics. It contains an excellent range of problems and exercises that will help students practice and learn the material. It also lists open questions in combinatorics so students can see that the field continues to develop. The really special feature of this book is a lovely collection of mini-projects that let students explore a variety of topics and deepen their understanding.' David Auckly, Kansas State University 'I highly recommend this text. Among its most interesting, unusual, and valuable features, one finds a long list of collaborative mini-projects for students to work on in groups, together with other problems to work on individually; nice historical asides, including references to the work of non-Western mathematicians; and a very accessible conversational style. It fits well with discovery-style or problem-oriented courses on the subject.' William Monty McGovern, University of Washington