The purpose of this book is clearly stated in the Preface: The aim was not to produce a ‘how to’ book, but ‘a book where the field of knowledge is displayed with the hope that new avenues of exploration would be opened’. It succeeds in this task admirably. Peppers – the genus Capsicum here – offer a diverse field, as vegetables and spice, ornamental plants and even a feedstock for the chemical industry, though the concentration here is on the vegetable. The first two excellent chapters on ethnobotany and genetics lay a firm basis for the succeeding chapters that cover every aspect of cultivation – from production, planting systems, nutrition fertilization and irrigation management, mechanization, pest and disease and weed control and post harvest technology to the physiology of metabolites and salt tolerance. A chapter on organic production brings this area of increasing commercial importance firmly into the frame of important targets for research. The chapter on the physiology of metabolites recognizes the growing importance of this area to definitions of product quality. An excellent final chapter on the economics of greenhouse production brings it all together into a practical commercial framework. All chapters attempt to lay out the state of the art, as currently known, and the result is a practical and comprehensive reference that helps to display the needs and opportunities in all fields from breeding to mechanical engineering. There is a fertile field here to stimulate new research and new careers.