Book excerpt: The papers in this volume all examine the nature of spoken word production in aphasia, and how this can inform current theories of language processing. It comprises 7 papers by some of the foremost researchers in the field. The first paper in the volume is an introduction by the editor (Dr Lyndsey Nickels), which reviews the 'state of the art' of the cognitive neuropsychology of spoken word production both in terms of theory and methodology. The individual papers address a range of topical issues including the levels of processing in speech production (Lambon-Ralph, Moriarty, Sage et al.; Wilshire); the nature of the interaction between levels of processing (Goldrick & Rapp);and effects of different factors on naming (word class and context: Berndt, Burton, Haendiges & Mitchum; phonemic and orthographic cues: Best, Herbert, Hickin, Osborne & Howard); lexical stress: Howard & Smith). Taken together this volume provides the reader with an insight into the cutting edge of research in spoken word production.