Book excerpt: Mathematical morphology (MM) is a theory for the analysis of spatial structures. It is called morphology since it aims at analysing the shape and form of objects, and it is mathematical in the sense that the analysis is based on set theory, topology, lattice algebra, random functions, etc. MM is not only a theory, but also a powerful image analysis technique. The purpose of the present book is to provide the image analysis community with a snapshot of current theoretical and applied developments of MM. The book consists of forty-five contributions classified by subject. It demonstrates a wide range of topics suited to the morphological approach.