Study of the inflammatory response is central to a variety of disciplines. The events that occur during the many types of inflammation are complex and interrelated to a surprising degree. Students of immunology, physiology, pathology, biochemistry, pharmacology, and clinical medicine require familiarity with these processes. Knowledge of inflammatory mechanisms has advanced considerably in recent years. Gerald Weissmann, editor of a new review Mediators of Inflammation , states in his preface that "... the study of inflammation and its mediators has passed from the purely descriptive to the soundly quantitative level of analysis...." The book provides a scholarly summary of current information about mediators of inflammation and mechanisms of their release. Seven authors (by invitation) have provided definitive reviews of broad areas of research, and provided each summary with an extensive bibliography of recent and important papers. The authors review mechanisms of mediator release, lysosomal hydrolases and other lysosmal inflammatory materials, the plasma