The topics of control engineering and signal processing continue to
flourish and develop. In common with general scientific investigation,
new ideas, concepts and interpretations emerge quite spontaneously and
these are then discussed, used, discarded or subsumed into the
prevailing subject paradigm. Sometimes these innovative concepts
coalesce into a new sub-discipline within the broad subject tapestry
ofcontrol and signal processing. This preliminary battle between old and
new usually takes place at conferences, through the internet and in the
journals of the discipline. After a little more maturity has been
acquired by the new concepts then archival publication as a scientific
or engineering monograph may occur. The applications ofsignal processing
techniques have grown and grown. They now cover the wide range from the
statistical properties of signals and data through to the hardware
problems of communications in all its diverse aspects. Supporting this
range ofapplications is a body of theory, analysis and techniques which
is equally broad. Darrell Williamson has faced the difficult task of
organising this material by adopting an algebraic approach. This uses
general mathematical and systems ideas and results to form a firm
foundation for the discrete signal processing paradigm. Although this
may require some extra concentration and involvement by the student or
researcher, the rewards are a clarity of presentation and deeper insight
into the power of individual results. An additional benefit is that the
algebraic language used is the natural language of computing tools like
MATLAB and its simulation facility, SIMULINK.