Combinatorics of Permutations (Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications)

WINNER of a CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title Award for 2006!

As linear orders, as elements of the symmetric group, modeled by matrices, modeled by graphs…permutations are omnipresent in modern combinatorics. They are omnipresent but also multifaceted, and while several excellent books explore particular aspects of the subject, no one book has covered them all. Even the classic results are scattered in various resources.

Combinatorics of Permutations offers the first comprehensive, up to date treatment of both enumerative and extremal combinatorics and looks at permutation as linear orders and as elements of the symmetric group. The author devotes two full chapters to the young but active area of pattern avoidance. He explores the quest for the Stanley-Wilf conjecture and includes the recent and spectacular Marcus-Tardos proof of this problem. He examines random permutations and Standard Young Tableaux and provides an overview of the very rich algebraic combinatorics of permutations. The final chapter takes an in-depth look at combinatorial sorting algorithms.

The author's style is relaxed, entertaining, and clearly reflects his enthusiasm for the "serious fun" the subject holds. Filled with applications from a variety of fields and exercises that draw upon recent research results, this book serves equally well as a graduate-level text and a reference for combinatorics researchers.