This is a very useful reference book for working astronomers and astrophysicists. Forming the proceedings of a recent IAUmeeting where the availability and the needs of atomic andmolecular data were discussed, the papers published herediscuss existing and planned instruments for astronomicalspectroscopy from earth-orbiting satellites. In particular,the atomic and molecular parameters that are, or will be,needed for analysis of the data obtained by theseinstruments are considered. A number of significantshortcomings in the available databases are identified. Theneeds highlighted will be of interest to laboratoryastrophysicists, both experimentalists and theorists, whocanproduce the data required. A second group of papersprovides a current inventory of atomic and molecular datacompilations.
