Until now debates about alternative uses of the bank have been hampered by the factthat much of the basic research has been available only to specialists and has been scattered amongmany publications. In bringing the available information on this complex region together for thefirst time, Georges Bank provides a basic and indispensable reference tool for anyone involved instudying the bank or in making decisions about its use.Moreover, the depth and clarity of the book's57 articles and 8 nontechnical introductions will make it useful for anyone involved inoceanographic or ocean policy studies.Sections cover all aspects of this huge marine ecosystem -geology, weather and climate, physical oceanography, chemistry, phytoplankton, primary production,zoology and secondary production, the fisheries, and conflicting uses. Georges Bank is the firstmajor project of the Coastal Research Center of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Theeditor-in-chief, Richard H. Backus, is chairman of the Institutions's biology department.Includes176 six-color maps, 54 four-color illustrations - 392 charts, graphs, and drawings. Concerned by the prospect of oil exploration in Georges Bank, the great fishing area off New England and Nova Scotia, researchers have banded together to produce this monumental compilation of scientific data on the Bank. Hundreds of graphs, pictures, and bibliographic references to the scientific literature accompany a dense text detailing geology, oceanography, fisheries, and potential fishing and political issues that affect exploitation of the Bank's resources. Although some interesting nontechnical vignettes are included, this is a high-powered research volume which, combined with the price, makes the book most appropriate for major research collections. Susan Klimley, Columbia Univ. Libs. Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. Richard H. Backus is chairman of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's biology department.