Contents: 1. Introduction. 2. Lichen symbionts. 3. Morphology and anatomy of Thallus. 4. Reproduction in lichens. 5. Physiology of lichens. 6. Chemistry of lichens. 7. Economic importance of lichens. 8. Ecology of lichens. 9. Classification of lichens. 10. Methodology for lichen taxonomy. References. Glossary.

From the Preface: "Lichenological studies have been prevalent in Europe and North America for over two centuries, and consequently hand-books or text books dealing with basic information on lichens have frequently been published in English and different European languages. Most of them have usually been beyond the reach of average Indian student or were somewhat unsuited as they lacked examples of Indian lichens. Lichenological studies in India do not go beyond about five decades and no suitable hand-book has been pubslihed in India for the basic information on them. In this handbook I have tried to include all the different and upto date information in a concise manner giving examples of Indian lichens as far as possible."