This is not a book intended for light reading or for those only casually concerned with the culture of fruit. However, for anyone interested in the genetics, improvement through plant breeding or other scientific aspects of a wide range of temperate fruit crops this book is a must. It will be of serious interest to plant breeding students and those from a wide range of disciplines involving the improvement of virtually any crop. The editor has skilfully and logically directed his co-authors in a stepwise description of their crop speciality, from evolutionary biology to biotechnology and breeding techniques. The referencing is both extensive and up-to-date with each chapter giving the key botanical traits and origin of species for each crop. What is fascinating and extremely educational is that a similar story of crop improvement has been applied to all of the 15 different types of crop. Crops covered are: apple, apricot, blackberry, blueberry, cranberry, cherry, currants, gooseberry, grape, kiwifruit, peach, pear, plum, raspberry and strawberry. For most of these fruit crops, extensive use has been made of closely, and sometimes distantly, related species of often widely differing ploidy level for the incorporation of a specific character. This book is an essential reference for those involved in temperate fruit research.