Machine Learning A Concise Introduction - Wiley Series in Probability and Statistics

"The goal of statistical data analysis is to extract the maximum information from the data, and to present a product that is as accurate and as useful as possible. - David W. Scott, Multivariate Density Estimation: Theory, Practice and Visualization, 1992 My purpose in writing this book is to introduce the mathematically sophisticated reader to a large number of topics and techniques in the field variously known as Machine Learning, Statistical Learning, or Predictive Modelling. I believe that a deeper understanding of the subject as a whole will be obtained from reflection on an intuitive understanding of many techniques rather than a very detailed understanding of only one or two, and the book is structured accordingly. I have omitted many details while focusing on what I think shows "what is really going on." For details, the reader will be directed to the relevant literature, or to the exercises, which form an integral part of the t