Medicinal and aromatic properties of sesame do not spring to mind before, or indeed after, perusal of this volume. Nine chapters discuss seed chemistry, six review cultivation in various countries and four concern topics such as genetics of yield and molecular biotechnology. There are also six chapters by the editor.

Currently, medicinal interest centres on sesame lignans, antioxidants responsible for the keeping qualities of sesame oil, which reportedly reduce plasma cholesterol and curb development of some cancers. However, several chapters conclude that more work is needed before extrapolating laboratory results to humans.

Chapters on sesame in China, Ethiopia, Iran, Somalia, Thailand and Turkey are written by nationals of these countries. Methods range from tillage by ox-drawn plough to tractor cultivation, and from oil extraction by pestle and mortar driven by a blindfolded camel to mechanical pressing. All chapters seem written to stand alone, resulting in some repetition, but together they provide a useful synthesis. A recurrent theme is the need for a non-shattering mutant superior to Langham's ‘close sesame’. One has apparently been developed in Thailand.

While most chapters are succinct summaries, the editor's are much longer. One on sesame in Iron Age Urartu (Ararat) seems out of place here. Her final three chapters are mainly compilations of quotations or paraphrases. This leads to repetition and even contradiction, e.g. ‘Ethiopia is Africa's largest sesame exporter’ (p. 428), but ‘northern Sudan is already the largest exporter of sesame seed and oil in Africa’ (p. 434). The cumulative effect left this reader asking ‘who shall edit the editor herself?’.