This book attempts to reflect the state of current research on communication networks: groupings of several individuals that constitute the social context in which communication takes place. In my view, a structured collection of chapters by active researchers best conveys the excitement of the research findings as well as the underlying expertise of the authors, especially when a wide range of taxa and signalling modalities are addressed.

The motivation to edit such a book came from the interest in the topic that was evident after seminars and conference presentations. However, it was the symposium on communication networks at the XXVIIth International Ethological Conference held in Tübingen that converted motivation into action. The symposium showed (at least to my satisfaction) how well the topic integrated research on different taxa and signalling modalities. It was also the opportunity to meet Shana Coates of Cambridge University Press and to appreciate her enthusiasm for a ‘book of the symposium’.

The book has turned out to be much more than a collection of symposium papers. First, it covers considerably more ground in its 26 chapters than was possible in a symposium of nine spoken papers. Second, some of the stimulating informal discussions that characterize a good conference have contributed to the section introductions. However, the main ‘added value’ comes from the willingness of the authors to comment on the chapters of others, to incorporate comments and cross-references into their own chapters and, above all, to look at communication from a network perspective.