Robert Degroot

Winner of the 2004 DeGroot Prize

This paperback edition, a reprint of the 2001 edition, is a graduate-level textbook that introduces Bayesian statistics and decision theory. It covers both the basic ideas of statistical theory, and also some of the more modern and advanced topics of Bayesian statistics such as complete class theorems, the Stein effect, Bayesian model choice, hierarchical and empirical Bayes modeling, Monte Carlo integration including Gibbs sampling, and other MCMC techniques. It was awarded the 2004 DeGroot Prize by the International Society for Bayesian Analysis (ISBA) for setting "a new standard for modern textbooks dealing with Bayesian methods, especially those using MCMC techniques, and that it is a worthy successor to DeGroot's and Berger's earlier texts".

Computational techniques based on simulation have now become an essential part of the statistician's toolbox. It is thus crucial to provide statisticians with a practical understanding of those methods, and there is no better way to develop intuition and skills for simulation than to use simulation to solve statistical problems. Introducing Monte Carlo Methods with R covers the main tools used in statistical simulation from a programmer's point of view, explaining the R implementation of each simulation technique and providing the output for better understanding and comparison.

Monte Carlo statistical methods, particularly those based on Markov chains, are now an essential component of the standard set of techniques used by statisticians. This new edition has been revised towards a coherent and flowing coverage of these simulation techniques, with incorporation of the most recent developments in the field. In particular, the introductory coverage of random variable generation has been totally revised, with many concepts being unified through a fundamental theorem of simulation.