Book excerpt: Analysis of Failure and Survival Data is an essential textbook for graduate-level students of survival analysis and reliability and a valuable reference for practitioners. It focuses on the many techniques that appear in popular software packages, including plotting product-limit survival curves, hazard plots, and probability plots in the context of censored data. The author integrates S-Plus and Minitab output throughout the text, along with a variety of real data sets so readers can see how the theory and methods are applied. He also incorporates exercises in each chapter that provide valuable problem-solving experience. In addition to all of this, the book also brings to light the most recent linear regression techniques. Most importantly, it includes a definitive account of the Buckley-James method for censored linear regression, found to be the best performing method when a Cox proportional hazards method is not appropriate. Applying the theories of survival analysis and reliability requires more background and experience than students typically receive at the undergraduate level. Mastering the contents of this book will help prepare students to begin performing research in survival analysis and reliability and provide seasoned practitioners with a deeper understanding of the field.