According to the preface this book has two main purposes. In the first place to provide a general phycological text for the users of the “new edition” of Pascher’s “Susswasserflora” (one of whose editors is Dr. Ettl), and in the second place for teaching general phycology. Dr. Ettl states that he has a descriptive morphological approach for didactive reasons. There are ten chapters. Chapter I delimits the algae, chapters 2-7 are devoted to cytology, morphology, reproduction, life cycles, the algal system, and ecology and distribution; chapters 8, 9, and 10 to the references, the subject index, and the taxonomic index, respectively.