Atlas (biology and public health, U. of Louisville) presents some 2000 alphabetical entries that provide information on media that are used for environmental microbial analyses, covering the range of media needed to cultivate the diversity of microorganisms that are culurable. Each entry provides the names and synonyms of media, description of composition, instructions for preparation, commercial sources, uses, and safety cautions where needed. He also includes a brief introduction to the significant components of media and the primary preparation methods.