One hundred and thirty families of flowering plants are described and illustrated in this very commendable volume. The author states that the families were chosen on the basis of “floristic dominance, phylogenetic interest, and economic importance.” The families are delineated according to the classification system of R.F. Thorne, a system which the author admits is “disconcerting to many taxonomists.” In a brief opening chapter the author also attempts to explain how cladists and “traditionalists” differ in their acceptance of monophyletic and paraphyletic taxa by using as examples the monocots and dicots, and how the cladistic approach more accurately depicts our current knowledge. Although all may not agree with her positions, the chapter does provide a succinct account of the controversy.