R Programming for Beginners

The aim of The Book of R: A First Course in Programming and Statistics is to provide a relatively gentle yet informative exposure to the statistical software environment R, alongside some common statistical analyses, so that readers may have a solid foundation from which to eventually become experts in their own right. Learning to use and program in a computing language is much the same as learning a new spoken language. At the beginning, it is often difficult and may even be daunting-but total immersion in and active use of the language is the best and most effective way to become fluent. Many beginner-style texts that focus on R can generally be allocated to one of two categories: those concerned with computational aspects (that is, syntax and general programming tools) and those with statistical modeling and analysis in mind, often one particular type. In my experience, these texts are extremely well written and contain a wealth of useful information but better suit those individuals wanting to pursue fairly specific goals from the outset. This text seeks to combine the best of both worlds, by first focusing on only an appreciation and understanding of the language and its style and subsequently using these skills to fully introduce, conduct, and interpret some common statistical practices.