In foods, yeasts represent Jekyll and Hyde-type microbes. On the one (beneficial) hand, they provide us with bread, beer, ripened cheeses, wine, and all other alcoholic beverages; whilst on the other (detrimental) hand, they spoil foods such as dairy products, fruit juices and meats. This spoilage can deleteriously affect the nutritive, sensory and aesthetic value of foods and beverages, but does not give rise to food poisoning (unlike certain bacteria). This text provides a comprehensive coverage of the growth, metabolism, detection, enumeration and identification of food-borne yeasts as well as methods employed to prevent yeast food spoilage. Although the Appendices provide very useful practical information on yeast growth media and yeast identification protocols, I would not regard this book first-and-foremost as a 'Handbook'. Rather, it represents a text packed full of useful cell physiology information, insightful tables/figures and up-to-date reference material on all aspects of yeasts and their schizophrenic relationship with food. Professor Deak is to be congratulated on providing the yeast community with a most valuable second edition of this work.