Notations and conventions Introduction:ESTIMATES IN THE UNIVARIATE CASE l.l Problems leading to extreme values of random variables l.2 The mathematical model l.3 Preliminaries for the independent and identically disuibuted case l.4 Bounds on the disUibution of extremes 1.5 Illusuations l.6 Special properties of the exponential distribution in the light of exuenles l.7 Suwey of the literature l.8 Exercises 2.WEAK CONVERGENCE FOR INDEPENDENT AND IDENTICALLY DISTRIBUTED VARIABLES 2.1 Limit distributiuns for maxima and minima:sufficient conditions 2.2 Other possibilties for the no Theor 2.3 The asymptotic dis tribution of the maximum and minimum for some special (listributions 2.4 Necessary conditions for weak convergence 2.5 The proof of part(iii) of Theorem 2.4.3 2.6 Illusuations 2.7 Further results on domains of attraction 2.8 Weak convergence for the kth extremes 2.9 The range and midrange 2.1O Speed of convergence 2.11 Survey of the literatme 2.12 Exercises 3. WEAK CONBERGENCE OF EXTREMES IN THE GENERAL CASE 3.l A new look at failme modek 3.2 The special role of exchangeable variables 3.3 Preparations for 3.4 A limit theorem for mixtures 3.5 A theoretical model 3.6 Segments of iniinite sequences of exchangeable variables 3.7 Stationary sequences 3.8 Statio 3.9 Limiting forms of the inequalitied of section 1.4 3.10 Mimimurm and maximum of independent variables 3.11 The asymptotic distribution of the kth extremes 3.12 Some applied models 3.12.1 Exact models via characte theorems 3.l2.2 Exact distributions via asymptotic theory (suength of materials) 3.l2.3 SUength of bundles of threads 3.12.4 Approximation by i.i.d. variables 3.12.5 Time to first failure of a piece of equipment with a large nunTber of components 3.13 Survey of the literatme 3.14 Exercises 4. DEOENERATE 4.1 Degenerate 4.2 Borel-CanteUi le 4.3 Almost sure asymptotic properties of exuemes of i.i.d. variables 4.4 Lim suo and lim ini of normal 4.5 The role of exUemes in the tbeory of sums of random variables 4.6 Survey of the literatme 4.7 Exercises 5.1 MuLtivARIATE EXTRemE VALUE DISTRIBUnONS 5 Basic propenies of multivariate distributions 5.2 Weak convergence of extremes for i.i.d.randomvectors: basic results 5.3 Further criteria for the i.i.d. case 5.4 On the properties of H(x) 5.5 Concomitants of order statistics 5.6 Survey of the literature 5.7 Exercises 6 MISCEL 6.l The maximum queue lengtk in a stable queue 6.2 Extremes with random 6.3 Record times 6.4 Records 6.5 Extremal pr 6.6 Suwey of the literature 6.7 Exercises ArPeNnaEs I. SoME BASIC FORMULAS FOR PROBABILITIES AND EXPECfAmONS Il. THEOREMs FROM III. SLOWLY VARYINO REFERENCES