Remember, folks: mathematical statistics is much deeper and more conceptual than the plug-and-play that is sophomore-level intro statistics. If you don't have a mathematical background, then this book (and in all honesty, a mathematical statistics course) is NOT for you.<br><br>I first encountered this book while working at the Federal Trade Commission (i.e., not in an academic setting), and found it so clear and easy to understand that I bought a copy for myself. I will concede that you can't come at this book without an understanding of at least integral calculus (and since so many people get turned off by Algebra, well...), so I suspect a lot of the negative reviews here are written by people who jumped in the deep end of the pool without having a few swimming lessons. If you know the calculus and basic set theory, the book is exceedingly easy to follow.<br><br>I wholly recommend this book, provided you have the prerequisite skills necessary to use it.