Gaston discusses the structure of the geographic ranges of species, considering the factors that determine the limits to a species' geographic range, how the sizes of those ranges vary and what patterns can be found in that variation. Also discussed are the distribution of individuals amongst those sites where a species does occur and what determines that distribution.

The synthesis flows with ease as if all the links amongst various theories, concepts, and analytical methods were known and obvious. It is a comprehensive review of what is state-of-the-art in the study and understanding of geographic ranges. For its recent and broad bibliography alone, the book is worth buying. More so, however, it is Gastons comprehensive synthesis of this complex topic that makes this book an important one for the scientific community. It should be the new reference text for all scholars and workers in the fields of conservation biology and restoration ecology. Ecology It will certainly serve as an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the structure or dynamics of geographic ranges, as it greatly surpasses previous works on these topics with its thoroughness and clarity. It should do much to advance the field of biogeography, and to provide a context for conservation in a world where the distribution, size, and internal structure of geographic ranges are ever changing. The Quarterly Review of Biology ... a very stimulating book. The range of cases and sources is impressive: it gives the study weight and provides us with one of the few detailed treatments of this subject. It should appeal to a wide audience. Educators will find ideas about range in one text (and have enough material to demonstrate the key ideas irrespective of location). For those studying the distribution of species this book is an excellent introduction. TEG News 28/08/2003