About the Series

The development of modern statistical theory is reflected in the history of the late Sir Maurice Kendall’s volumes, The Advanced Theory of Statistics. This landmark publication began life as a two-volume work (Volume 1, 1943; Volume 2, 1946) and grew steadily, as a single authored work, until the late 1950s. At this stage, Alan Stuart became co-author and The Advanced Theory was rewritten in three volumes.

When Keith Ord joined the authorial team in the early 1980s, plans were laid to expand still further to a four-volume work. However, it became evident that with the ongoing and often rapid pace of developments in statistics, gaps were appearing in the coverage and it was becoming increasingly difficult to provide timely updates to all volumes, so a new strategy was devised.

The Kendalls’ Advanced Theory of Statistics now forms a core of three volumes in an expanded series of related works, The Kendall’s Library of Statistics. The other books in this series encompass the areas previously appearing in the old Volume 3 and to some extent in Volume 2 and the series structure allows the inclusion of new titles on other areas which have become established since the publication of the original Advanced Theory.

In the preface to the first edition of The Advanced Theory, Kendall declared that his aim was ‘to develop a systematic treatment of [statistical] theory as it exists at the present time’. This continues to be the guiding principle of the series, which hopes to maintain its role as a standard and comprehensive reference on modern statistics.

The complete Kendall’s Library offers an invaluable, life-long resource for all statisticians.

If you have a proposal for a new title in the Kendall's Library, please contact the Publisher by email: liz.gooster@hodder.co.uk