This handbook is a realization of a long term goal of BMDP Statistical
Software. As the software supporting statistical analysis has grown in
breadth and depth to the point where it can serve many of the needs of
accomplished statisticians it can also serve as an essential support to
those needing to expand their knowledge of statistical applications.
Statisticians should not be handicapped by heavy computation or by the
lack of needed options. When Applied Statistics, Principle and Examples
by Cox and Snell appeared we at BMDP were impressed with the scope of
the applications discussed and felt that many statisticians eager to
expand their capabilities in handling such problems could profit from
having the solutions carried further, to get them started and guided to
a more advanced level in problem solving. Who would be better to
undertake that task than the authors of Applied Statistics? A year or
two later discussions with David Cox and Joyce Snell at Imperial College
indicated that a wedding of the problem statements and suggested
solutions with control language to accomplish these analyses would
further the learning process for many statisticians. They were willing
to undertake the project. Joyce Snell has done an excellent job of
melding the two approaches and has carried many of the problems a step
further by suggesting alternate approaches and follow-up analyses.