Pollen can be preserved for thousands of years in palaeontological and archaeological materials thus providing a unique means of reconstructing the past. This is of particular interest to scientists given the current, intense interest in global climate change. Varying minutely in size and detail, each grain can be identified by light and electron microscopy. This volume, which will be valuable to both students and researchers alike, is a field and laboratory manual of pollen analysis which provides a wealth of information for the selection of sites, the collection and processing of samples, the identification of pollen (covering Northern Europe and North America), and the analysis and presentation of data. The book is divided into eight chapters which flow logically into each other and cover the following areas: Basis and applications; Sources of fossil pollen; The collection of samples; The treatment of samples; Pollen grains and spores; Pollen and spore key (including glossary); Assembling data; Interpreting pollen data. The bulk of the book consists of the most comprehensive pollen and spore key available. Used in conjunction with the excellent light and electron micrographs, this key is an important aid for any palynologist wishing to identify pollen grains.