The CRC Press has an enviable reputation for producing a varied succession of bestselling, yet often staid, reference books; however, this edition is attractive as well as instructive. Invaluable for anyone, even novices, it can re-educate the more experienced practitioner in current concepts and techniques. The bullet point summaries beginning the chapters on concepts link to the associated practical chapters. These are great fun and should encourage confidence to tackle more complex investigations later.

The second edition is not perfect. The attractive cover illustrations are neither captioned nor acknowledged, the figure of a rhizomorphic fungus (page 191) should be greatly improved along with the coverage of Armillaria, but most surprising for a book that is aimed at an international readership, are the non-S.I. units on page 421. The commendable effort to cater for a readership beyond the USA is refreshing and could perhaps be encouraged by selecting additional authors from other countries.