Property in Land and Other Resources, ed. by Daniel H. Cole and Elinor Ostrom. Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, 2012. 492p bibl index afp ISBN 9781558442214 pbk, $35.00. This exceptional work of scholarship should become the baseline reading for all those interested in furthering their understanding of the nature of property rights. Cole and Ostrom (both, Indiana Univ.) bring together well-respected researchers to provide perspective on the current understanding of property, rights, and institutions. Topics include an analysis of rights found in property systems in general, and specifically with respect to the California gold rush, air, wildlife, land and water, and the global commons. Each article is followed by a brief comment that identifies divergent paths or very useful additional perspectives. The main point raised is not just that systems of rights and property are indeed complex, but that identifying a theory (or theories) to adequately describe them is just as complex. Not only is the current research more than adequately surveyed in each of the articles, but potential avenues of future research are provided throughout the text. As one commenter put it, "The paths not taken, and their relative attractiveness, are never apparent until at least one path is taken." The text is written for an academic audience, and assumes a particular level of understanding from the beginning. Summing Up: Essential. Graduate, faculty, and research collections. -- B. J. Peterson, Central College