First Paragraph
Cold-Water Corals is the first comprehensive synthesis of one of the most active areas of current deep-sea research. It is a timely contribution to this field, which is experiencing a rapid increase in the number of scientific publications, has been the subject of several directed research programs, and has been the focus of four international conferences to date. The first three authors are recognized authorities on cold-water coral ecosystems in Europe, and the fourth author is a world authority on coral taxonomy. The targeted audience for this book is “professionals and students of marine science.” The well-written and easy-to-read format contains numerous topic boxes (12) and case studies (7) that help explain various sections. The book has few typographical errors, a comprehensive index, a fairly complete glossary, and a summary reference section (relevant to all chapters) that is appropriate to the text. It includes many black and white illustrations, and a 16-page section of color plates.