Red Sea /

Another in the series of handsome volumes being produced by Pergamon in collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. The series, titled ``Key Environments'', seeks to call attention to parts of the world that are under the threat of environmental disaster. For reviews of other volumes in this series, see Galapagos (CH, Jan '85); Madagascar (CH, Feb '85); Antarctica (CH, Dec '85); and Western Mediterranean (CH, May '86). Various authors contributed chapters on the geology, paleogeography, climate, deep-sea environment, and the major groups of the biota. To the credit of the editors, each chapter is written in an authoritative but not highly technical manner. The result is a very useful summary of present knowledge, especially of the various groups of animals and plants. For marine biologists, this work will probably serve as a standard reference for some years to come; it is also of interest to evolutionary biologists and geographers. Useful primarily at the upper-division undergraduate, graduate, and faculty levels.-J.C. Briggs, University of South Florida