In this unusual but informative book Professor Schlegel summarizes the history and development of plant breeding and crop improvement.. Following a short Introductory chapter, chapters 2 to 5 deal with: 10,000 Years of Crop Improvement; Mendel's Contribution to Inheritance and Breeding; Biotechnology, Genetic Engineering and Plant Improvement; and Intellectual Property Rights, Plant Variety Protection and Patenting. Chapter 6 contains an 89-page list of luminaries, their research establishments and a description of their contributions to crop improvement over the last 250 years or so. Not all readers will agree with some of the omissions. Moreover, descriptions vary considerably; for example, there are three lines for Charles Darwin while R. A. Fisher has 52. As well as a helpful glossary and index, there are useful notes on chapters, 2, 3 and 6. An eclectic bibliography with over 430 references confirms that the author has studied his subject in some detail, and there is an examination of the future of plant breeding. Tables and figures are clear, but a few poor black and white photographs add little to the text. Minor quibbles apart I think that the author has made a significant contribution in summarizing a lot of dispersed information that could otherwise be lost. I recommend this book to plant breeders, geneticists and biologists, and those who are interested in agricultural development and history and wish to know more about the individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions to science and the well-being of humankind.