This volume contains twelve papers presented at a joint meeting of The Micropalaeontological Society, the American Association of Stratigraphic Palynologists and the North American Micropaleontology Section of SEPM, held at University College London in September 2002. The main theme of the meeting was the same as the title of the volume, Recent Developments in Applied Biostratigraphy, but given the audience, it should come as no surprise to learn that the biostratigraphy covered in the volume is micropalaeontological, in its broadest sense, and that it is applied almost exclusively to exploration and production problems in the hydrocarbons industry. The meeting itself attracted 78 oral presentations and almost 40 posters, so the twelve papers published here represent about 10% of the whole. Nevertheless, they give a flavour of themes that are extant in micropalaeontology and palynology, especially applied to hydrocarbons’ exploration and production.

Four of the papers offer insights into original or relatively new concepts and techniques, or demonstrate new applications of existing techniques. All cite case histories as examples, but the applications are potentially broader. Monteil introduces the concept of morphostratigraphy, a non-taxonomic biostratigraphical technique based on the stratigraphical occurrence of morphological characteristics, regardless of their taxonomic attribution. Gary et al. describe a method for two-well correlation based on calculating a sample-by-sample similarity/dissimilarity matrix that may better mimic how many biostratigraphers would approach the problem, namely by solving a series of smaller problems rather than searching for an optimal global solution. Dale et al. used ecological signals and correspondence analysis to determine ecological shifts in successions in the Paleocene of the Norwegian North Sea, correlating these shifts between wells and so linking the ecological signal to sequence stratigraphy. All these approaches have potential for further development and application in biostratigraphy. The fourth paper, by Williams et al., describes the development of a non-acid technique for preparing palynological samples, avoiding the use of chemicals such as hydrofluoric and other acids. Given the significant risks for health and safety and the environment that these chemicals pose, especially at the well-site, the ongoing development of alternative methods is welcome.

The remaining papers are mainly case studies applying more traditional biostratigraphical methods. Three provide new data and zonations on various stratigraphical intervals: Ilyina et al. on the foraminiferal and dinoflagellate cyst zonation of the Callovian–Volgian reference section in the Tyumenskaya superdeep well, West Siberia; Stead & Awad on a palynological zonation of Cenozoic non-marine sediments in the Muglad Basin, Sudan; and Jaramillo et al. on the Paleocene of the Llanos foothills, Colombia, using graphic correlation. Payne et al. and Butler et al. both demonstrate the value of revisiting existing data. The first provides a ‘salutary tale (of) . . . biostratigraphy in complex terrains’, namely a reinterpretation of the stratigraphical and structural model of the Paleocene–Eocene succession in the Mungo Field, central North Sea, based on a reinterpretation of biostratigraphy combined with heavy mineral analysis. The second, data from the Middle Jurassic Ravenscar Group, Cleveland Basin, combined with sedimentary facies, offers new insights into the stratigraphical architecture of successions in the North Sea. The remaining three papers, by Jones et al. on the Eocene Ainsa System of the Spanish Pyrenees, by Hughes on the Shu'aiba Formation reservoir of Saudi Arabia and on the Permo-Triassic (Khuff Formation) of Saudi Arabia, look at the micropalaeontological discrimination of environments at reservoir scale.

One of the problems with conference volumes, especially those that contain a subset rather than the whole conference proceedings, as in this case, is that the range of topics covered is dictated by the papers submitted. This volume, however, provides plenty to interest biostratigraphers and those using biostratigraphical data in industry, research and academia, from case studies for teaching and analogous successions, to new data from frontier exploration areas, to new ideas and innovative approaches. The volume is generally well produced, with many diagrams in full colour or incorporating colour. Herein lies the only problem. Some of the other figures would clearly have benefited from either redrafting or publication in colour (what might work well in a PowerPoint presentation does not necessarily work at all in print, especially when reproduced in shades of grey), and others suffer from inadequate labelling or poor captioning. It is a pity about this, but the number of figures involved is relatively small and does not detract overall from the value of the book.