The second edition of the 1998 book is targeted on the horticultural industry and policy makers as much as students and teachers. Volume 1 is almost as long as the whole of the first edition. The extended introduction to the new edition, which covers the tropics, its soils and horticulture, cultivation, tree management and postharvest technology, provides good background to what follows, and will be useful to students especially. The fruits covered are Annona spp., avocado, bananas and plantains, litchi and longan, mango, papaya and pineapple. The approach to revision was to retain the original text largely unchanged, and to add new material. This is satisfactory where little is new, but greater revision might have been expected in the more technical areas. Unfortunately the colour pictures have been removed.

Most of the relevant subjects – botany, ecology, general characteristics, varieties, cultural practices, pest management, harvesting and postharvest handling and utilization – are covered with references to monographs where required. The accounts of breeding are particularly welcome. More on the business side might have been expected from the authors, for example, market analysis is described as the crucial step in establishing a new orchard, but marketing is discussed for three of the seven fruits, and has not been updated in any way. The book would have benefited from careful copy editing.

Overall, the book is a useful introduction to the fruits that it covers.