This book represents the first attempt to bring together the available information on the developmental biology of prokaryotes. Professor Dworkin has done this exceedingly well in both the coverage of significant results available and the unique organization of the book. The material selected by the author for discussion includes examples from bacteriophages, Bacillus, cyanobacteria, streptomyces, and the myxobacteria. The author clearly and simply discusses the application of molecular and genetic approaches toward understanding morphogenesis and development; he also points out the significance of prokaryotes as model systems. Of particular interest and clarity is the chapter on genetic approaches to the study of development (Ch. 12), in which the author clearly and emphatically points to the utility of mutantdvariants in deciphering developmental events. The author ends each chapter with a summary of the salient points discussed ("take-home lesson"). It would have been useful also, and certainly more convenient, if he listed the pertinent references at the end of each chapter, rather than at the end of the book.
Dr. Dworkin should be commended for writing a timely book in an exciting area of biology with such clarity that it should prove useful to students of developmental biology at all levels. It should clearly "whet the appetite" of those seeking to be in the forefront of modern biology.