Condon and Shortley has become the standard comprehensive work on the theory of atomic spectra. The first two chapters contain a brief historical introduction and an exposition of quantum mechanics along the lines formulated by Dirac. Then follow sixteen chapters devoted to a unified, logical deduction of the structure of the spectra of atoms from quantum mechanical principles. The theory is given in full detail and the results are amply documented with comparisons with experimental observations. When first published, a reviewer in Nature said that 'Its power and thoroughness leave the...