Functional foods seem to have come of age, if the tide of publications on the subject is anything to go on. The title of this multi-authored book is slightly misleading in that it comprises six sections on probiotics, with only one, admittedly very good, chapter covering prebiotics. Synbiotics are not dealt with at all. To some extent, this reflects the body of knowledge currently available in the functional food field, and possibly, the Editors' research interests. They have certainly gone for breadth in this edition, and with respect to probiotics, the book is impressive in scope. Creditably, there is no shortage of detail. This is a timely and highly informative production that will serve as a valuable resource for students, newcomers and active researchers in gut microbiology, food microbiology and biotherapeutics. The book is keenly priced and well presented, with each section having its own extensive bibliography. If you want to learn about probiotics, this is a very good place to start. Highly recommended.