Dear MARMAMers, There is a clear need for an easily-accessible up-to-date, citable source that provides a comprehensive literature review of biological knowledge on all marine mammal species of the world. The first edition of the Handbook of Marine Mammals did an admirable job of solving these problems in the late twentieth century, but now, more than 22 years later, the need is again quite acute. This second edition of the Handbook of Marine Mammals is intended mainly to update the six volumes of the first edition, though we intend to extend it to seven volumes, to account for the increased number of species and knowledge on each. The general format of the books and of the chapters will be very similar to those of the first edition. I am leading this effort as the main editor, with Sam H. Ridgway included as my co-editor (posthumous contribution). The books will again be published by Academic Press/Elsevier. If you are interested in writing a chapter on any of the pinnipeds or sirenians for this series, please contact me. You will have several years to complete the chapter, so there is no rush. Thanks, Tom Jefferson Lead editor, Handbook of Marine Mammals, 2nd edition sclymene@aol.com