<DIV>Scientific knowledge grows at a phenomenal pace--but few books have had as lasting an impact or played as important a role in our modern world as <i>The Mathematical Theory of Communication</i>, published originally as a paper on communication theory in the <i>Bell System Technical Journal</i> more than fifty years ago. Republished in book form shortly thereafter, it has since gone through four hardcover and sixteen paperback printings. It is a revolutionary work, astounding in its foresight and contemporaneity. The University of Illinois Press is pleased and honored to issue this commemorative reprinting of a classic.</DIV>