Stanley Bashkin Beam-foil spectroscopy has enjoyed a rapid growth since the publication of KAY's first experiment I.1J and my own first formal discussion of the possibilities inherent in a foil-excited particle beam 1.2J. In addition to fulfilling a number of the impor tant promises, the beam-foil source has been found to hold substantial surprises, the unearthing of which has contributed to our knowledge of basic atomic physics. Since the early days, major extensions have been made in the range of wavelength and par ticle energies which have been used, but only the bare beginnings have...