Survival Analysis – A Self-Learning Text
As the title suggests, this book is truly a self-learning text. There is minimal math in the book, even though the subject essentially is about estimating functions(survival, hazard, cumulative hazard). I think the highlight of the book is its unique layout. Each page is divided in to two parts, the left hand side of the page runs like a pitch, whereas the right hand side of the page runs like a commentary to the pitch. Every aspect of estimation and inference is explained in plain simple English. Obviously one cannot expect to learn the math behind the subject. In any case, I guess the target audience for this book comprises those who would like to understand survival analysis, run the model using some software packages and interpret the output. So, in that sense, the book is spot on. The book is 700 pages long and so all said and done, this is not a book that can be read in one or two sittings. Even thought the content is easily understood, I think it takes a while to get used the various terms, assumptions for the whole gamut of models one comes across in survival analysis. Needless to say this is a beginner’s book. If one has to understand the actual math behind the estimation and inference of various functions, then this book will equip a curious reader with a 10,000 ft. view of the subject, which in turn can be very helpful in motivating oneself to slog through the math.
Here is a document that gives a brief summary of the main chapters of the book.