Book excerpt: This book is the first set of proceedings to be devoted entirely to the theory of hypergeometric functions defined on domains of positivity. Most of the scientific areas in which these functions are applied include analytic number theory, combinatorics, harmonic analysis, random walks, representation theory, and mathematical physics - are represented here. This volume is based largely on lectures presented at a Special Session at the AMS meeting in Tampa, Florida in March 1991, which was devoted to hypergeometric functions of matrix argument and to fostering communication among representatives of the diverse scientific areas in which these functions are utilized. Accessible to graduate students and others seeking an introduction to the state of the art in this area, this book is a suitable text for advanced graduate seminar courses for it contains many open problems.