Book excerpt: This book is for undergraduates, postgraduates and research workers who wish to gain an insight into present ideas and speculations on the origin of granite batholiths. It is a summary of the proceedings of a one-day meeting of the Geochemistry Group of the Mineralogical Society held at the University of liverpool on the 2nd May 1979, entitled The Origin of Granite Batholiths: Geochemical Evidence. It was felt that relevant new geochemical and isotopic data with associated field and petrological observations would be helpful in clarifying the main issues connected with the origin of granitic rocks. The speakers who participated contri buted a wealth of data and ideas to the problem, based on many years' experience of granitic rocks in various parts of the world. The popularity of the meeting indicated that a summary of the talks might be welcomed by a wider audience; hence this book. For reasons of length and cost, authors have been limited to presenting only the essential results necessary to develop their arguments and ideas. The comprehensive reference list will, however, assist those who wish to pursue specific aspects in greater detail. Inevitably, the cost and speed of publication may have resulted in some errors and inconsistencies which would not have occurred in a book produced over a longer time-span, but the editors hope that the rapid and up-to-date publication will offset this. The controversy over the origin of granite is as old as the science of geology.