Recognition of a biodiversity crisis, and the development of new analytical and geological techniques for studying extinction, have increased our appreciation of global change in recent years. Paul Taylor looks at the implications for plants, animals and microbes, and discusses the role of extinction in evolution. His useful reference brings together key findings from the current debate concerning extinction for students, researchers and the interested general reader. Review "The contributors have been very successful in producing a work that is accessible to undergraduates and also represents the best of scientific analyses on the subject." CHOICE June 2005