There is a substantial amount of information in this book and something for everyone. The book begins with six chapters, written mostly by the Nobel laureate himself, providing an overview of prions and how the prion concept was conceived. A series of excellent chapters also describes the range of animal and human prion diseases. The rapid expansion of the prion research field will have made the selection of contributors challenging. Despite this, a selection of leading researchers were chosen from across the world providing balanced discussion and variety in presentation style. The Editor hoped this book would stimulate and tempt young investigators to prion research. It certainly informs the novice that there is more to prions than mad cows and cannibals! And for the established researcher? This book should make a useful reference text as data from an extensive number of studies are contained within the same volume.