MAHALANOBIS, P.C.

On Large-Scale Sample Surveys. (Offprint from: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B, Vol. 231, pp.329-451).

London, Cambridge University Press, 1944. Large 4to. Original printed wrappers. A fine copy. Owner's signature of statistician Anders Hald (the author of "A History of Mathematical Statistics"). (123 pp.).

First edition, offprint issue of this important paper in the history of statistics. "Mahalanobis's contributions to large scale sample surveys are among his most significant and lasting gifts to statistics. He started his work on sample surveys with estimation of area and yield of jute crop in Bengal in 1937. However, it was not easy for him to get these estimates; controversy between him and the advocates of complete enumeration continued for over a decade. Ultimately he was able to demonstrate that estimates based on sample surveys were often more accurate than those based on complete enumeration, and that sample surveys could yield estimates with small margins of error within a short time and at a smaller cost than complete enumeration. He made many methodological contributions to survey sampling that included optimal choice of sampling design using variance and cost functions, and the technique of interpenetrating network of sub-samples for assessment and control of errors, especially non-sampling errors, in surveys. The concept of pilot surveys was a forerunner of sequential sampling developed by Abraham Wald, as acknowledged by Wald in his book. In addition to introducing these concepts, Mahalanobis raised important and difficult philosophical questions on randomness and representativeness of a sample, which remain relevant and challenging even today. He was elected Chairman of the United Nations Sub-Commission on Statistical Sampling in 1947, and held this post until 1951. His tireless advocacy of the usefulness of sample surveys resulted in the final recommendation of this Sub-Commission that sampling methods should be extended to all parts of the world. Mahalanobis received the Weldon Medal from Oxford University in 1944 and was elected Fellow of the Royal Society, London, in 1945, for his fundamental contributions to statistics, particularly in the area of large-scale sample surveys." - Heyde: Statisticians of the Centuries, p.436.

Order-nr.: 35747