posted 9 years ago
Hi Karthik,
I tried to write R in Action so that readers without a statistical background could read most of the chapters. There are a few advanced chapters in which a stats background will certainly help, but I still tried to make it readable.
I wrote the second edition for a couple of reasons. First, the R language really is evolving rapidly and their have been many changes. Second, there were topics that I wanted to add that I didn't get a chance to in the first edition.
In fact, I added many new chapters including
(1) working with time series data
(2) predictive analytics and machine learning
(3) a deeper dive into the R language for programmers
(4) writing your own R packages
(5) creating attractive dynamic reports using Markdown and LaTeX
(6) an extended discussion on visualizing data with ggplot2
I also added more information on working with big data in the Appendices.
Hope this helps.
Rob