2004 xx, 371 p., numerous figures, 12 coloured plates, hardbound (dust jacket). Library stamps, else very good copy. Scarce.This book lays out the insights into population biology, ecology and conservation biology that can be gained through investigation of a judiciously chosen model system, the populations of checkerspot butterflies that Ehrlich and colleagues have worked on in California, and the Finnish populations that Hanski has investigated.