Includes index.

The first edition of this book was very well received and is considered to be one of the classical introductions to the subject of discrete mathematics - a field that is still growing in importance as the need for mathematicians and computer scientists in industry continues to grow. The opening chapter is a memory-refresher reviewing the prerequisite mathematical knowledge. The body of the book contains two parts (five chapters each): a rigorous mathematically oriented first course in coding theory, followed by introductions to special topics; these can be used as a second semester, as supplementary reading, or as preparation for studying the literature. Among the special features are chapters on arithmetic codes and convolutional codes, and exercises with complete solutions.