When I saw the phrase ‘all flesh is grass’ I had in mind a text dealing with aspects of agriculture, on the grounds that humans and other animals are nutritionally dependent upon grass – or plants more generally – because those photoautotrophs are the first trophic level in the great majority of food webs. I was therefore expecting a book that dealt with various aspects of man's relationships with crops and domesticated animals; all fair game for one who is interested in plant and people interactions. So, you'll probably understand my surprise when I discovered that All flesh is grass is not really about that. Or, rather, it is, but not in that rather myopic, blinkered, narrow way. Instead, its vision is much grander and more ambitious, encompassing as it does a broad range of animal–‘plant’(which embraces algae) interactions, with a strong emphasis on symbioses (predominantly of the mutually beneficial variety). So, what you are presented with is arguably a more satisfying holistic world view; but, one which by virtue of trying to cover so much is inevitably a little unsatisfactory because you want to know even more about the interesting interactions that are introduced in its nearly 550 pages. But isn't that the sign of a good book? Shouldn't it be a starting point for a journey of discovery, not merely a destination? Still, and in keeping with its ‘fleshy-grass’ theme, throughout the text there is a strong agricultural/economic emphasis in such sections as Part: 2 ‘Insects [sic.] Interactions’ (including plant–aphid, and gall contributions); Part 3 ‘Pollination and Seed Dispersal’ (including chapters on ‘Ants as pollinators’, ‘Crop pollination’, and ‘Bee cognition and crop pollination: proven and potential applications’); Part 4: ‘Animals and Humans [sic.] Involvement’ (‘Grazing livestock’, and ‘Herbivore–plant interactions’); and Part 5: ‘Plant Defenses’ (including ‘Biochemical plant defenses against herbivores’). But, establishing its true global sweep, and on the basis that ‘grass’ means microalgae in aquatic habitats, Part 6 is devoted to marine environments and includes such chapters as ‘Epizoic diatoms on gastropod shells’, ‘Managing the interactions between plants and animals in marine multi-trophic aquaculture’, and Marine microralgae [sic.]/cyanobacteria–invertebrate symbiosis' (wherein you will find much mention of coral reefs). From a lack-of-obvious-agricultural-relevance point of view, Part 7: ‘Carnivorous Plants’ stands apart from the preceding six parts, but one of its two chapters attempts to answer the intriguing question ‘Why are plants carnivorous?’, and the other presents a review of plant carnivory. Appropriately, the book begins with Part 1's single contribution that reviews the evolution of plant–animal interactions and sets the scene for the chapters that follow. But, curiously – and frustratingly – Part 8 (‘Outlook and Summary’), by the book's two editors, which was supposed to present a ‘Summary, final comments and conclusions’ (according to the publisher's website www.springer.com), was missing from the hard copy version that I reviewed (but – in fairness – Part 8 is not mentioned in the book's Contents pages, so maybe its absence is a late editorial decision?). The promised 12 pages of Organism Index, Subject Index, and Author Index were there, though. Overall, All flesh is grass is a fascinating tome, and should appeal to anyone who has an interest in the broader aspects of botany, particularly the interconnections between plants (in the broadest sense) and other biota. It is abundantly illustrated throughout, with many colour images. It is filled with fascinating insights into symbiotic associations, whether it be the ‘plant–aphid universe’, zoochory, diatom–human interactions, or the mysterious world of foraminifera. The 22 chapters contain many 21st Century references, as befits this 21st Century synthesis of symbiosis. Although the website identifies the book's content as ‘graduate level’, I think it could be enjoyed by readers at all levels from first year undergraduate. Arguably, it might be of more direct appeal to the teachers of those (under)graduates because its many examples of plant–animal interactions or human dimensions thereof could be used to ‘liven-up’ lectures on almost any botanically based topic. Interestingly, Googling ‘all flesh is grass’ reveals an alternative interpretation for this Biblical phrase: all human life is transitory (www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_flesh_is_grass). That may well be, but perhaps the antiquity of most (probably all) of the co-operative plant–animal associations tackled in this book provides the book's real take-home message: species that work together, last longer. Maybe this collection will encourage us to review our own relationships with the very ‘grass’ that ultimately makes our own ‘flesh’, and hopefully take our self-appointed stewardship of the planet role more seriously? However, I'm still curious to know why this book is Volume 16 in Springer's ‘Cellular Origin, Life in Extreme Habitats and Astrobiology Series’ …