Review of: <i>Plant Cell Walls – Research Milestones and Conceptual Insights</i>

This outstanding collection consists of 25 chapters (totalling >500 pages), each an informative, self-contained review by a group of one or more experts on selected aspects of plant cell wall biology.Chapters are ~10-20 pages in length, offering digestible insights that can be absorbed in a single sitting.The pages are generously peppered with citations to the primary literature, serving as a gateway to thousands of key references in the field.The level is appropriate for graduate students and other researchers with some background in the cell wall field who want concise summaries of specific aspects of plant cell wall structure, biochemistry and biology.Each chapter has a different 'personality', based on the distinctive approaches and backgrounds of the chapter authors.A glossary of >700 abbreviations at the front of the book is of great help, as is the extensive index at the end.Those familiar with plant cell wall biology will recognize many of the contributors from their major research contributions to the field, some going back to the 1960s.While this book covers a lot of ground, it is not designed to be a comprehensive and integrated textbook on cell walls, nor is it focused on applications or industrial aspects of plant cell walls.Its focus is largely on primary cell walls, although secondary cell walls and lignification are discussed in several chapters, including one on woody biomass deconstruction.