The Lakes Handbook, Volume 1. Limnology and Limnetic Ecology. Edited by O'Sullivan P. E. and Reynolds C. S. (2004) Blackwell Science, Ltd. Oxford, UK. $204.95. ISBN 0-632-04797-6.

There is a lot to like about this book. There is also some disappointment.Because the list of chapter authors was such a stunning collectionof talent, I happily volunteered to read the book for the Journalof Plankton Research. It took less time to read it than thevolume’s five year gestation, but it was not all smoothsledding through 700     

The Lakes Handbook, Volume II. Lake Restoration and Rehabilitation. Edited by P. E. O'Sullivan and C. S. Reynolds. Blackwell Science Ltd, Oxford, UK, 2005, 560 pp. ISBN 0-632-04795-X (hardback). {pound}125.00.

This is the second of a two-volume set, assembled from the contributionsof many authors. As is true of Volume I, many of the contributorsare luminaries, and the topical coverage is relatively comprehensive.This volume is divided into sections that treat regional studies,human impact on specific lake types, lake and catchment modelsand legal frameworks. Owing