This volume follows from the introduction to the rationale and methodology of the Marine Nature Conservation Review (MNCR) which appeared a couple of years ago (and was reviewed in Vol. 7, p. 327 of this journal). The MNCR was a UK project, begun in 1987, and was only intended to last 10 years, with the objective of describing the shallow-water ecosystems around the UK with a view to assessing conservation priorities. Gradually now, the wealth of data which accumulated during that programme are being collated and published.
Part 1 of the current volume provides a brief review of marine benthic information available for the north-east Atlantic including offshore areas of Great Britain. Chapters in Part 2, written by different authors to reflect specialist expertise of each MNCR coastal sector, cover the coasts of the UK sequentially, describing the state of knowledge of sea-bed habitats and their inhabitants generally within the 3-mile limit.
Keith Hiscock is to be congratulated on having done a good job here, both in concept and delivery. Irritatingly, what is lacking is any index beyond one of place names. The volume is nicely produced, lavishly illustrated with line drawings done in a consistent style, and for the most part the text is devoid of typographical errors. Occasional lapses, e.g. in the spelling of old chestnuts like Raffaelli (p. 21), Murison (p. 115), or Connell (p. 341) would probably be noticed only by the gentlemen themselves-or else the most eagle-eyed reader-but 'gravely' for 'gravelly' (p.