Book excerpt: The Aeolian Islands form one of the most active geological structures in the Mediterranean area, comprising a number of active (Stromboli and Vulcano) and dormant (Panarea and Lipari) volcanoes. They have attracted the attention of scientists in modern and historical times and are the cradle of the scientific discipline of volcanology. This Memoir provides information on geological features of the Aeolian Islands volcanoes at a regional scale and for each island. The stratigraphy, structural evolution, eruptive and magmatic history of the Islands is presented, along with the geodynamic setting of the Aeolian volcanism and implications for magma origin and evolution processes. Particular focus is given to the active and dormant volcanoes and the related natural hazards. It includes a DVD with new 1:10,000-scale geological maps of the Aeolian Islands and bathymetric maps of sectors of the Aeolian archipelago, together with an extended dataset of rock compositions.