As is natural, in the four years since the publication of the second edition of
this book we have somewhat modified our views on what should be included
and how it should be presented. In this new edition, although the range of topics
covered has been extended, there has been no significant shift in the general level
of difficulty or in the degree of mathematical sophistication required. Further, we
have aimed to preserve the same style of presentation as seems to have been well
received in the first two editions. However, a significant change has been made
to the format of the chapters, specifically to the way that the exercises, together
with their hints and answers, have been treated; the details of the change are
explained below.