Random Graph Dynamics (Cambridge Series in Statistical and Probabilistic Mathematics, Series Number 20) Revised Edition

INACCURATE DESCRITION, ARRIVED DAMAGED DUE TO JUNK JIFFY-BAG PACKING

This book is definitely not for the beginner who is looking to research random graphs. Part of that is of course because of the nature of the topic, but the main issue with this book is the writing style. Durrett has a habit of using multiple notations and switching between them randomly with little explanation of what any of his terms mean. It seems to be a bit of a running joke with him. It definitely makes an already complicated topic dizzyingly confusing. That being said, this book is packed with information and Durrett is well versed on the topics.

The author presents very interesting material and I really learned a lot from reading this book. I've read a lot of texts and papers on the subject of random graphs (both technical and for the general public) and most authors do a good job in making this subject interesting and enjoyable, but often lack a rigorous presentation of the subject. In that sense Durrett's book does an excellent job in providing this missing element from other books. On the negative side, the exposition in Durrett' s book is not self-contained and the author relies too much on the notation and results from his previously published books. If you don't have those books the reading pace will be seriously hampered. Also, in trying to motivate the subject in Chapter 1, the author introduces a lot of cryptic notation and concepts that are not explained until later on. I know this is supposed to be a monograph, but at least the author should try to live up to the series mission of providing a clear presentation of the subjects. In summary, a great book if you are already familiar with the subject and are fairly mathematical sophisticated, but don't use this book as an introductory text or to get motivation on the subject.