Book excerpt: The Fifth International Conference on Laser Spectroscopy or VICOLS, was held at Jasper Park Lodge, in Jasper, Canada, June 29 to July 3, 1981. Following the tradition of the previous conferences in Vail, Megeve, Jackson Lake, and Rottach-Egern, it was hoped that VICOLS would provide an opportunity for act ive scientists to meet in an informal atmosphere for discussions of recent developments and applications in laser spectroscopy. The excellent conference facilities and remote location of Jasper Park Lodge in the heart of the Canadian Rockies, amply fulfilled these expectations. The conference was truly international, with 230 scientists from 19 countries participating. The busy program of invited talks lasted four days, with two evening sessions, one a panel discussion on Rydberg state spectro scopy, the other a lively poster session of approximately 60 post-deadline papers. We wish to thank all of the participants for their outstanding contribu tions and for preparation of their papers, now available to a wider audience. Our thanks go to the members of the International Steering Committee for their suggestions and recommendations. We are especially pleased to have held this conference under the auspices of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics. VICOLS would not have been possible with out the financial support of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and the Office of Naval Research and Air Force Office of Scientific Research of the United States* of America.