New Biological Books

The aim of this section is to give brief indications of the character, content and cost of new books in the various fields of biology. More books are received by The Quarterly than can be reviewed critically. All submitted books, however, are carefully considered for originality, timeliness, and reader interest, and we make every effort to find a competent and conscientious reviewer for each book selected for review. Of those books that are selected for consideration, some are merely listed, others are given brief notice, most receive critical reviews, and a few are featured in lead reviews. Listings, without comments, are mainly to inform the reader that the books have appeared; examples are books whose titles are selfexplanatory, such as dictionaries and taxonomic revisions, or that are reprints of earlier publications, or are new editions of well-established works. Unsigned brief notices, written by one of the editors, may be given to such works as anthologies or symposium volumes that are organized in a fashion that makes it possible to comment meaningfully on them. Regular reviews are more extensive evaluations and are signed by the reviewers. The longer lead reviews consider books of special significance. Each volume reviewed becomes the property of the reviewer. Most books not reviewed are donated to libraries at SUNY Stony Brook or other appropriate recipient. The price in each case represents the publisher’s suggested list price at the time the book is received for review, and is for purchase directly from the publisher. Authors and publishers of biological books should bear in mind that The Quarterly can consider for notice only those books that are sent to The Editors, The Quarterly Review of Biology, C-2615 Frank Melville, Jr. Memorial Library, State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3349 USA. We welcome prepublication copies as an aid to early preparation of reviews.