Book excerpt: "a very valuable book for graduate students and researchers in the field of Laser Spectroscopy, which I can fully recommend" —Wolfgang Demtröder, Kaiserslautern University of Technology How would it be possible to provide a coherent picture of this field given all the techniques available today? The authors have taken on this daunting task in this impressive, groundbreaking text. Readers will benefit from the broad overview of basic concepts, focusing on practical scientific and real-life applications of laser spectroscopic analysis and imaging. Chapters follow a consistent structure, beginning with a succinct summary of key principles and concepts, followed by an overview of applications, advantages and pitfalls, and finally a brief discussion of seminal advances and current developments. The examples used in this text span physics and chemistry to environmental science, biology, and medicine. Focuses on practical use in the laboratory and real-world applications Covers the basic concepts, common experimental setups Highlights advantages and caveats of the techniques Concludes each chapter with a snapshot of cutting-edge advances This book is appropriate for anyone in the physical sciences, biology, or medicine looking for an introduction to laser spectroscopic and imaging methodologies. Helmut H. Telle is a full professor at the Instituto Pluridisciplinar, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain. Ángel González Ureña is head of the Department of Molecular Beams and Lasers, Instituto Pluridisciplinar, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain.