1. The properties of X-ray binaries / N. E. White, F. Nagase and A. N. Parmar -- 2. Optical and ultraviolet observations of X-ray binaries / J. van Paradijs and J. E. McClintock -- 3. Black-hole binaries / Y. Tanaka and W. H. G. Lewin -- 4. X-ray bursts / Walter H. G. Lewin, Jan Van Paradijs and Ronald E. Taam -- 5. Millisecond pulsars / D. Bhattacharya -- 6. Rapid aperiodic variability in X-ray binaries / M. van der Klis -- 7. Radio properties of X-ray binaries / R. M. Hjellming and X. Han -- 8. Cataclysmic variable stars / France Anne-Dominic Cordova -- 9. Normal galaxies and their X-ray binary populations / G. Fabbiano -- 10. Accretion in close binaries / Andrew King -- 11. Formation and evolution of neutron stars and black holes in binaries / F. Verbunt and E. P. J. van den Heuvel -- 12. The magnetic fields of neutron stars and their evolution / D. Bhattacharya and G. Srinivasan -- 13. Cosmic gamma-ray bursts / K. Hurley --

14. A catalogue of X-ray binaries / Jan van Paradijs -- 15. A compilation of cataclysmic binaries with known or suspected orbital periods / Hans Ritter and Ulrich Kolb.

X-ray binaries are some of the most varied and perplexing systems known to astronomers. The compact object, which accretes mass from its companion star, may be a white dwarf, a neutron star, or a black hole, whereas the donor star can be a 'normal' star or a white dwarf. The various combinations differ widely in their behaviour. This timely volume provides a unique and up-to-date reference of our knowledge of all of them.

This long awaited review provides graduate students and researchers with the standard reference on X-ray binaries for many years to come.