This IMA Volume in Mathematics and its Applications CLASSICAL AND MODERN BRANCHING PROCESSES is based on the proceedings with the same title and was an integral part of the 1993-94 IMA program on Emerging Applications of Probability. We would like to thank Krishna B. Athreya and Peter J agers for their hard work in organizing this meeting and in editing the proceedings. We also take this opportunity to thank the National Science Foundation, the Army Research Office, and the National Security Agency, whose financial support made this workshop possible. A vner Friedman Robert Gulliver v PREFACE The IMA workshop on Classical and Modern Branching Processes was held during June 13-171994 as part of the IMA year on Emerging Appli cations of Probability. The organizers of the year long program identified branching processes as one of the active areas in which a workshop should be held. Krish na B. Athreya and Peter Jagers were asked to organize this. The topics covered by the workshop could broadly be divided into the following areas: 1. Tree structures and branching processes; 2. Branching random walks; 3. Measure valued branching processes; 4. Branching with dependence; 5. Large deviations in branching processes; 6. Classical branching processes.