P. T. N. SPENCER-PHILLIPS Co-ordinator, Downy Mildew Working Group of the International Society for Plant Pathology University of the West of England, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol BS16 1QY, UK Email: peter.spencer-phillips@uwe.ac.uk It is a very great privilege to write the preface to the first specialist book on downy mildews since the major work edited by D. M. Spencer in 1981. The idea for the present publication arose from the Downy Mildew Workshop at the International Congress of Plant Pathology (ICPP) held in Edinburgh in August 1998. Our intention was to invite reviews on selected aspects...