本书是系统阐述组合数学基础、理论、方法和实例的优秀教材，出版30多年来多次改版，被MIT、哥伦比亚大学、UIUC、威斯康星大学等众多国外高校采用，对国内外组合数学教学产生了较大影响，也是相关学科的主要参考文献之一。
本书侧重于组合数学的概念和思想。包括鸽巢原理、计数技术、排列组合、P61ya计数法、二项式系数、容斥原理、生成函数和递推关系以及组合结构（匹配、实验设计、图）等。深入浅出地表达了作者对该领域全面和深刻的理解。除包含第4版中的内容外，本版又进行了更新，增加了有限概率、匹配数等内容。此外，各章均包含大量练习题，并在书末给出了参考答案与提示。

Richard A．Brualdi美国威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校数学系教授（现已退休），曾任该系主任多年。他的研究方向包括组合数学、图论、线性代数和矩阵理论．编码理论等。Brualdi教授的学术活动非常丰富，担任过多种学术期刊的主编。2000年由于“在组合数学研究中所做出的杰出终身成就”而获得组合数学及其应用学会颁发的欧拉奖章。

Preface
1 What 'Is Combinatorics?
1.1 Example: Perfect Covers of Chessboards
1.2 Example: Magic Squares
1.3 Example: The Four-Color Problem
1.4 Example: The Problem of the 36 OfFicers
1.5 ,Example: Shortest-Route Problem
1.6 Example: Mutually Overlapping Circles
1.7 Example: The Game of Nim
1.8 Exercises
2 Permutations and Combinations
2.1 Four Basic Counting Principles
2.2 Permutations of Sets
2.3 Combinations (Subsets) of Sets
2.4 Permutations of Multisets
2.5 Combinations of Multisets
2.6 Finite Probability
2.7 Exercises
3 The Pigeonhole Principle
3.1 Pigeonhole Principle: Simple Form
3.2 Pigeonhole Principle: Strong Form
3.3 A Theorem of Ramsey
3.4 Exercises
4 Generating Permutations and Combinations
4.1 Generating Permutations
4.2 Inversions in Permutations
4.3 Generating Combinations
4.4 Generating r-Subsets
4.5 Partial Orders and Equivalence Relations
4.6 Exercises
5 The Binomial Coefficients
5.1 Pascal's Triangle
5.2 The Binomial Theorem
5.3 Unimodality of Binomial Coefficients
5.4 The Multinomial Theorem
5.5 Newton's Binomial Theorem
5.6 More on Partially Ordered Sets
5.7 Exercises
6 The Inclusion-Exclusion Principle and Applications
6.1 The Inclusion-Exclusion Principle
6.2 Combinations with Repetition
6.3 Derangements
6.4 Permutations with Forbidden Positions
6.5 Another Forbidden Position Problem
6.6 M6bius Inversion
6.7 Exercises
7 Recurrence Relations and Generating Functions
7.1 Some Number Sequences
7.2 Generating Functions
7.3 Exponential Generating Functions
7.4 Solving Linear Homogeneous Recurrence Relations ..
7.5 Nonhomogeneous Recurrence Relations
7.6 A Geometry Example
7.7 Exercises
8 Special Counting Sequences
8.1 Catalan Numbers
8.2 Difference Sequences and Stirling Numbers
8.3 Partition Numbers
8.4 A Geometric Problem
8.5 Lattice Paths and Schr6der Numbers
8.6 Exercises
9 Systems of Distinct Representatives
10 Combinatorial Designs
11 Introduction to Graph Theory
12 More ONgraph Theory
13 Digraphs and Networks
14 Polya Counting
Answers and Hints to Exercises
Bibliography
Index