After a brief overview of trace element sources and biogeochemistry, this book is essentially an element-by-element survey, with very brief synopsis for each entry. While not rigorous in its approach, the book is interesting precisely because it tries to cover the entire periodic table. The limitation is that the more unusual elements receive a more limited coverage precisely because there is not much literature on them, which in turn indicates that they may be generically of less interest.

The text is succinct and appears accurate. As a teaching resource in biogeochemistry I found it had a lot of potential, giving good entry points into the literature for undergraduate students who might be given essay topics on how a particular element behaves in the plant and soil environment, particularly those elements of a more exotic bent. It also provides a lot of contextual information about environmental, soils and plant concentrations and their sources, providing a good overview as to drivers of element availability such as pH, organic matter, interactions with other elements and mineral content. It has the approach of Marschner's classic textbook on ‘Mineral Nutrition of Higher Plants’, which is no bad thing. It is a welcome addition to my library and I will certainly be pointing students in its direction. As such, while not essential, the text is a very useful resource. For the scientist wanting more detailed or up-to-date information the approach is somewhat limited and the examples given idiosyncratic with no filter as to why the examples are given.