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This fabulous book is a great achievement. The 166 splendid color illustrations (many previously unpublished) alone would make the volume of great value, but James (Univ. of Sussex, UK) also provides a rich scholarly apparatus of footnotes and bibliography and a fine list of all extant mosaics, arranged by period and country. Written with panache, the book wears its erudition lightly and is accessible to a wide readership. The book includes Islamic and Western mosaics, along with so-called Byzantine wall mosaics (mosaic floors are not considered), from the 4th to 15th centuries, and it offers many fresh observations and is much better than any previous book on the subject. Discussion of mosaics in Rome and elsewhere in the West is thoughtful and provocative. As noted in the fine historiographical introduction, many scholars have been "Byzantino-centric," assuming the centrality and preeminence of Constantinople in the absence of strong supporting evidence. The discussion of Carolingian mosaics is extended and welcome--and also unusual in such surveys. The first third of the book is a fascinating study of the materials and craft of mosaic, indispensable for anyone interested in the spectacular art of medieval mosaics.Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers.