This is the first text in a generation to re-examine the purpose of the mathematical statistics course. The book"s approach interweaves traditional topics with data analysis and reflects the use of the computer with close ties to the practice of statistics. The author stresses analysis of data, examines real problems with real data, and motivates the theory. The book"s descriptive statistics, graphical displays, and realistic applications stand in strong contrast to traditional texts that are set in abstract settings.