This is the latest edition of a text first published in 1982. Since 1982 much more information about soils has become available and there are marked changes in how we use this information. There have also been major developments in the analytical facilities available and associated increases in the volume and precision of the data obtained. The relative ease with which we are now able to gather data makes it ever more important that the basic principles of the nature of the materials and the processes in which they participate are understood.

The book has 12 chapters, beginning with an overview of the development of soil chemistry. From Chapter 2, there is a wealth of information which should prove sufficient for anyone with a reasonably good scientific background to understand some of the complexities of the soil system, focusing on the nature of the constituents, their interactions and the processes operating within it. Whilst in places there may be rather too much detail for some, the basic information is presented in a clear and concise manner and should provide a good starting point for the student soil scientist. The book includes all the basic material to be expected in a book on soil chemistry. It is written in a clear and concise manner and makes cross-reference between sections to help the reader; it also has a detailed index which is essential in a book of this nature. This is not a book you would read from cover to cover, but it will be useful to have on the shelf to pick up when you wish to seek information about soil chemistry.