Book excerpt: The 1992/93 academic year at the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute was devoted to complex algebraic geometry. This volume collects survey articles that arose from this event, which took place at a time when algebraic geometry was undergoing a major change. The editors of the volume, Herbert Clemens and János Kollár, chaired the organizing committee. This book gives a good idea of the intellectual content of the special year and of the workshops. Its articles represent very well the change of direction and branching out witnessed by algebraic geometry in the last few years.