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Book Announcement
READINGS IN AGENTS
Edited by
Michael N. Huhns
Munindar P. Singh
Foreword by
Les Gasser
http://www.mkp.com/books_catalog/1-55860-495-2.asp
October 1997; 520 pages; paper; ISBN 1-55860-495-2
The world of agents comprises a broad range of intelligent programs
that perform specific tasks on behalf of their users. Agents are
distinguished from other types of software by their status as
independent entities capable of completing complex assignments without
intervention, rather than as tools that must be manipulated by a user.
Largely the province of speculation before the early 1990s, agent
research has flourished since the advent of the Internet, which has
created an ideal operating environment.
This important collection unifies the extensive recent literature on
agent technology, presenting a wealth of the finest published papers
on both theory and applications. Huhns and Singh have drawn on
research communities in AI, databases, distributed computing, and
programming languages to assemble the most comprehensive overview of
the agent world available. The editors add a summary of the field and
its terminology, history, and major issues, together with
introductions to each of the thematic chapters and discussions of the
significance and context of the individual papers.
Focuses on:
applications of agents
classical techniques for agent construction
theory for modeling and understanding agents
intellectual frontiers in agent science.
Researchers, practitioners, and students will gain the essential
background and perspective needed to understand and appreciate current
and future agent research.
Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 Agents and Multiagent Systems:
Themes, Approaches, and Challenges
Chapter 2 Applications
Chapter 3 Architectures and Infrastructure
Chapter 4 Models of Agency
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