The Editor originally had the idea to prepare this book back in 1994 when BSE was a disease recognized in cattle with unknown implications for transmission to humans. Since then prion disease research has progressed at an astonishing rate, although fundamental questions remain unanswered. The creation of a book such as this in a rapidly progressing field is always risky as key developments can often emerge during or after publication. However, through careful selection of international experts this book adequately covers the many historical, fundamental, scientific and medical facets of prion disease research. The individual chapters themselves are relatively short and of varied style but packed with useful information and accompanied by an extensive index allowing items of interest to be rapidly found. With a cover price of €158.00 this may limit the number of personal purchases, especially from students, but the book will make a useful addition to the shelves of most prion disease research laboratories or institutional libraries.