This monograph explores the close relationship of various well-known pattern recognition problems that have so far been considered independent. These relationships became apparent with the discovery of formal procedures for addressing known problems and their generalisations. The generalised problem formulations were analysed mathematically and unified algorithms were found. The main scientific contribution of this book is the unification of two main streams in pattern recognition - statistical and structural. The material is presented in the form of ten lectures, each of which concludes with a discussion with a student.