This is an excellent introduction to plant pathology and the kind of book one tends to hold onto to use as a reference after finishing their coursework. I have known plenty of graduate students who've held onto their copies, and I've really never heard any serious criticisms of this book. The coverage is broad, and it will serve as a useful, interesting and highly readable reference for those with interests in bacteriology, virology, mycology, botany and a variety of other fields that overlap with aspects of plant pathology. Typically when I rate textbooks I am fairly harsh because the cost is generally high while contents often leave much to be desired. In my opinion this book is an exception, and I think the cost reasonably reflects the value of the information contained.