Data compression is a field that has evolved significantly since its inception. The third edition of "Data Compression: The Complete Reference" reflects these advancements, incorporating new compression methods and background material while removing outdated techniques. The book provides a comprehensive overview of various compression techniques, including run-length encoding, statistical methods, dictionary-based compression, and image and audio compression. It also discusses emerging standards such as JPEG 2000 and MPEG-4, and covers topics like wavelets, finite-state automata, and error-correcting codes. The book is designed to be accessible to nonspecialists, with minimal use of mathematics and an emphasis on examples, diagrams, and exercises. The third edition includes numerous updates, such as new sections on PPM compression, adaptive Golomb coding, and the QM coder. It also addresses the issue of patents and provides information on various compression algorithms and their applications. The book is accompanied by a website that hosts additional resources, including appendices and solutions to exercises. The prefaces of each edition highlight the reasons for the updates, including reader feedback, corrections, and the need to justify the book's title as a complete reference. The book is structured into chapters covering basic techniques, statistical methods, dictionary methods, image compression, video compression, audio compression, and other methods. It concludes with a bibliography, glossary, and a section on joining the data compression community.Data compression is a field that has evolved significantly since its inception. The third edition of "Data Compression: The Complete Reference" reflects these advancements, incorporating new compression methods and background material while removing outdated techniques. The book provides a comprehensive overview of various compression techniques, including run-length encoding, statistical methods, dictionary-based compression, and image and audio compression. It also discusses emerging standards such as JPEG 2000 and MPEG-4, and covers topics like wavelets, finite-state automata, and error-correcting codes. The book is designed to be accessible to nonspecialists, with minimal use of mathematics and an emphasis on examples, diagrams, and exercises. The third edition includes numerous updates, such as new sections on PPM compression, adaptive Golomb coding, and the QM coder. It also addresses the issue of patents and provides information on various compression algorithms and their applications. The book is accompanied by a website that hosts additional resources, including appendices and solutions to exercises. The prefaces of each edition highlight the reasons for the updates, including reader feedback, corrections, and the need to justify the book's title as a complete reference. The book is structured into chapters covering basic techniques, statistical methods, dictionary methods, image compression, video compression, audio compression, and other methods. It concludes with a bibliography, glossary, and a section on joining the data compression community.