Book excerpt: Comprises the proceedings from the First International Space Science Institute (ISSI) Workshop held in November, 1995 in Bern, Switzerland. Written both by space physicists and astronomers, the roughly 40 contributions provide an overview of the current state of knowledge concerning the density, velocity, temperature, composition, and morphology of the local interstellar medium (LISM) and how it interacts with the heliosphere. Contributions are in four sections: the heliosphere, the termination shock, the local interstellar medium, and interaction between the heliosphere and LISM. Also includes a keynote speech given by Sir Herman Bondi titled "Science as an Adventure." Reprinted from Space Science Reviews, v. 78, nos. 1-2, 1996. Lacks a subject index. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR