Book excerpt: A knowledge of spectroscopic methods is required to interpret the shape and structure of compounds - this informative book concentrates on their application to inorganic compounds. The emphasis is placed on obtaining and interpreting the data rather than concentrating on the theory. To this end, examples are given in the text and worked through to show the processes involved in assigning spectra and obtaining information from them. This essential text for all undergraduate chemists will also benefit postgraduate students researching in the field of inorganic chemistry.