This book gives plenty of advice to both pure and applied chemists. This book provides helpful information on rarely considered aspects of isotope dilution. This book is the biggest vol- ume on isotope dilution mass spectrometry to date, and sci- entists of all abilities, whether beginners or experts, will be able to draw from this work. -- Juris Meija Anal Bioanal Chem DOI 10.1007/s00216-014-7662-6 Book's topic Isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) has become a staple of analytical chemistry. One reason for this is that IDMS enables quantitation of an analyte without too much regard for incomplete extraction or digestion. Unlike the popular, related method of standard addition, which usually relies on extensive analytical response (peak area or signal intensity), isotope dilution uses intensive response: the isotope amount ratio. Although the principle behind isotope dilution is simple and can be explained using the analogy of catch-andrelease fish counting in a pond, the technical and theoretical details of implementing isotope dilution become complex rather quickly. Consequently, isotope dilution is not a onesize- fits-all panacea in analytical chemistry. This book tries to present many of the details that are important for accurate performance of isotope dilution. Contents This book consists of ten chapters. The introductory chapter provides an overview of isotope dilution mass spectrometry, including a brief historical outline of the method. The second chapter is devoted to the basic equations of IDMS, including double IDMS and exact-matching double IDMS. This chapter also provides the equations that extend the isotope dilution to more than two isotopes (that is, one isotope ratio). Chapter 3 discusses online IDMS, which allows isotope-dilution-based quantitation of multiple analytes containing the element of interest as they elute from the chromatographic column. This is a popular method in elemental speciation because it requires only one isotopic standard of an element, rather than one isotopic standard for each substance. Chapter 4 covers the topic on which the authors are recognized experts: the use of multiple isotopically labelled substances for quantitation of dynamic systems. This is the application for which isotope dilution offers the most substantial advantages over traditional methods. A popular example of this approach is the quantitation of Cr(VI) in the presence of Cr(III). It is possible for some of the Cr(III) to convert into Cr(VI) during sample preparation, and, to ascertain the amount of Cr(III) that was not originally present in the sample, one can add isotopic spikes of both Cr(III) and Cr(VI), each enriched in a different isotope of chromium. Chapter 5 deals with the natural isotopic composition of elements and how to use it to calculate the natural isotopic composition of complex substances, and chapter 6 provides guidance on selecting the isotopic spike. Chapters 7 and 8 provide technical discourse on the measurement of isotope ratios in elemental or molecular mass spectrometry. Chapter 9 discusses the traceability of IDMS results, emphasising the function of purity estimations of natural standards. Lastly, chapter 10 provides guidance on the uncertainty evaluation of IDMS results. This chapter discusses different sources of uncertainty, offers guidance on how to minimize these, and provides mathematical tools for combining all individual uncertainty components to estimate the uncertainty of the final result. Comparison with the existing literature Isotope dilution mass spectrometry features as a chapter in virtually all modern analytical chemistry textbooks. However, it is rare to find an entire book devoted to this subject. The closest alternative to this book is the small paperback Guidelines for Achieving High Accuracy in Isotope Dilution Mass Spectrometry by Sargent, Harrington, and Harte, published in 2002 by the Royal Society of Chemistry. However, the scope of this book is much more exhaustive, reflecting the numerous recent developments in the field. Critical assessment This book gives plenty of advice to both pure and applied chemists. However, isotope dilution mass spectrometry has developed substantially over the last few decades, and it is increasingly difficult to cover all aspects of the method. Among the topics almost entirely omitted from this book is the blank correction. In addition: chapter 7 discusses mass-bias correction in mass spectrometry and the fact that most corrections rely on comparisons between the measured isotope ratios and the "theoretical" values provided byIUPAC. However, no further guidance is given as to how these "theoretical" values are obtained in the first place. The discourse on standard atomic weights is, at times, not well researched. For example, the authors voice the opinion that "atomic-weight intervals are useless not only for trade and commerce but also for Chemical Metrology". Such a comment is unfortunate, because it does nothing to improve knowledge. More research by the authors on this topic would most certainly have benefited this book, and would mean readers would not be presented with freshman mistakes whereby atomic weights are expressed in g mol?1, or such comments as "the mol is the reference for the determination of the atomic weights" (the opposite is true; it is the atomic weights which serve as the reference to determine the mole). Summary This book provides helpful information on rarely considered aspects of isotope dilution. The authors thus effectively dispel the notion that isotope dilution is a simplemethod that will always provide accurate results. The few above shortcomings notwithstanding, this book is the biggest volume on isotope dilution mass spectrometry to date, and scientists of all abilities, whether beginners or experts, will be able to draw from this work. -- Juris Meija Anal Bioanal Chem DOI 10.1007/s00216-014-7662-6