SWIFT

My intention in reading a book on this subject was to get a general overview of what happened in the days leading up to, and following the creation of the Quabbin. This book did provide it, but at what price? It was an excrutiating read....the spelling and grammatical errors alone were enough to make me put the book down several times. It was like reading a high school student's work. And the extent that the author goes to in detailing the politics involved (and there was a lot of politics) were enough to induce catatonia. Perhaps something that focused a little less on the politicians and a little more on the inhabitants of the area would've better suited my needs.

I enjoyed the insightful and informative information. A must read for law enforcement professionals or anyone who wants an eye-opening view of gangs today!

Incredibly poorly written book. This is NOT a general introduction to M&S. A more appropriate title for this book would be "A Course in Biological Modeling". If you are looking for an introduction to numerous biological modeling systems then this is your book. If you want a book that overviews the wonderfully complex world of modeling then look elsewhere. (I'm still looking - any help out there). Point is that modeling is much more than understanding birth and death rates of Sand Hill Cranes. Modeling encompasses all fields of Engineering and Physics of which this book hardly mentions. (As you may detect I am particularly annoyed about the misleading title of this book. )
Also, take the authors math expectation in the forward seriously. Make sure you math skills are current before tackling this book. There is a lot of assumption and little equation development. If your skills are rusty you'll find yourself frequently bewildered by how they got from A to B.
I am completing a class on M&S using this book and I can honestly say that I do not know of one student in a class of 25 that is happy with this text.

This is a highly recommended book for those who wish to learn the art of mathematical modeling from scratch. The examples used to illustrate important ideas and concepts in mathematical modeling range from simple to relatively advanced. I would rate a book on mathematical modeling, especially an introductory one (for beginners), as highly recommended, if it emphasizes more on how to use mathematics to obtain answers to practical questions rather than on techniques and tricks to solve equations (even though these equations may have some connection with practical problems).

To break it down.

1. The authors write with a clarity and elegance that is almost universally absent in math/science texts. The book is beautifully paced. Anybody thinking about writing a technical book would do well to read this before starting out.

2. The mathematics is second to the modelling. They move from simple examples towards the formal mathematics, nothing is introduced without explanation. This is a vast improvement over so many other texts that are happy to derive the math first and then show an example, which is no way to engage the mind. It is the only text I have come across that presents differential equations and continuous stochastic processes in a palatable manner.

3. The exercises have been well thought out, and not just thrown in at the end of each chapter, reflecting the authors' teaching experience, and leave you with any number of directions in which to take your own steps in modelling.

It is simply one of the best written and engaging technical books I have read this or any other year. This books shows that one can write clearly about mathematics. If you really want to understand and ground yourself in math modelling and simulation, this is where to start.