the current status of the field.

Galaxy Distribution {#z}
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Over the past two decades the number of redshift surveys and redshift data has greatly increased and a complete review is beyond the scope of the present contribution and can be found elsewhere [@strauss-willick][@dacostampaeso]. Here we point out two classes of surveys that have had a strong bearing on some of the issues discussed here. The first class consists of wide-angle, dense sampling surveys such as the CfA2 [@gellerhuchra] and SSRS2 [@dacostassrs] which revealed for the first time the full complexity of the galaxy distribution. The discovery of extended, coherent wall-like structures and of large regions devoid of luminous matter with scales comparable to the survey depth represented a serious challenge to the prevailing theories of structure formation and evolution. Furthermore, these surveys probed relatively large volumes which allowed for reasonable estimates of the power-spectrum of the galaxy density fluctuations to be made for the first time [@gott][@vogeley][@dacostaps]. Even though unable to reach very large scales, when COBE normalized, comparison with N-body simulations demonstrated that the results were consistent with a low-$\Omega$ cosmological model and an unbiased galaxy distribution. The PS was well described by a shape parameter $\Gamma=0.2$, consistent 