Palms, together with grasses and legumes, are of major importance to humankind, with products, including food and beverages, building materials, furniture, clothing, medicine, fuel and handicraft materials. The objective of this book is to provide information on exploited palm species, with a target readership of foresters and conservation and development workers. Over 500 species and their uses are listed, grouped geographically, and there are interesting case studies of indigenous tribal use of palms. Of the 500 exploited species nearly 300 are threatened, and 36 are endangered. Over-exploitation and habitat loss are the main threats, and the importance of sustainable harvest planning is emphasised.

For information on domesticated species (coconut, oil palm, date, betel nut, peach palm) specialist texts should be consulted, but anyone interested in lesser known species, including some with clear potential for domestication, could start here. There are useful lists of publications, and addresses (including e-mail) of palm experts, but in some respects the book is disappointing. There is no index, a serious omission, and photograph quality is also poor. There are over 400 references, but only about 25% were published since the first edition in 1998. There are 28 tables giving composition and characteristics of some individual palm products, but only one is from after 1998, and only nine of the 18 species listed as having development potential are included. It will be a useful book, but could have been much better.

(It is possible to download the book free of charge. See http://www.fao.org/docrep/012/i1590e/i1590e.pdf)