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...