From the reviews: "This is an absolutely superb book, from the beginning of the preface, where the author provides a basic definition of star formation, to the last section where he reminds us that 'efficiency' of star formation can mean at least three different things, with three different numerical value ... . The book concentrates on the interpretation of observations in star-forming regions relatively nearby, in our own Galaxy, at the present time, where the most detailed and accurate results can be obtained." (Virginia Trimble, The Observatory, Vol. 132 (1226), February, 2012)