This work consists of 16 chapters written by researchers in the field of quantum Monte Carlo, highlighting the advances made since William A. Lester Jr's 1997 monograph with the same title. It may be regarded as the Symposium on Advances in Quantum Monte Carlo Methods held during the Pacifichem meeting in December 2000, but the contributions go beyond what was presented there.

Presents the basic theory and applications of the Monte Carlo method to the electronic structure of atoms and molecules. It assumes no previous knowledge of the subject, only a knowledge of molecular quantum mechanics at the first-year graduate level.