GENERAL ASPECTS OF INDIVIDUAL IDENTIFICATION AND THE BIOLOGICAL BASIS OF INDIVIDUAL UNIQUENESS ARE FIRST PRESENTED TO PREPARE THE READER FOR MORE DETAILED COVERAGE OF SPECIFIC IDENTIFICATION METHODS. A CHAPTER ON FINGERPRINTS AND OTHER DERMAL RIDGES EXAMINES THE HISTORY AND BIOLOGY OF FINGERPRINTS, PATTERNS AND PERSISTENCE OF DERMAL RIDGES, FINGERPRINT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SEXES AND RACES, IDENTIFICATION THROUGH FINGERPRINTS, AND THE DERMATOGLYPHICS OF OTHER AREAS, ESPECIALLY THE LIPS. THE BIOLOGY OF VOCALIZATION, PHYSICAL QUALITIES OF SOUND, PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF VOICEPRINTS, AND THE USE OF VOICEPRINTS IN THE COURTROOM ARE CONSIDERED IN TERMS OF VOICEPRINTS IDENTIFICATION. PROCEDURES INVOLVING THE WITNESS, CRIMINAL PHOTOGRAPHS, THE ARTIST'S DRAWING, AND THE COMPOSITE ARE OUTLINED FOR PERSONAL APPEARANCE IDENTIFICATION. FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY IS CONCERNED WITH THE USE OF BONES IN IDENTIFICATION, AND INFORMATION ON DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HUMAN AND ANIMAL BONES, SEX AND RACE DETERMINATION, STATURE RECONSTRUCTION, AGE AT TIME OF DEATH, BONE PATHOLOGY AND INJURY, AND DISASTER IDENTIFICATION IS INCLUDED. A SECTION ON FORENSIC ODONTOLOGY REVIEWS THE USE OF TEETH IN AGE, RACE, AND SEX DETERMINATION; THE GENETICS OF TEETH; DENTAL IDENTIFICATION IN MASS DISASTER; AND CERTIFICATION OF FORENSIC ODONTOLOGISTS. SUCH TOPICS AS THE BIOLOGY OF THE ABO BLOOD GROUPS, UTILIZATION OF BLOOD GROUP FREQUENCY DATA, COLLECTION OF EVIDENCE, IDENTIFICATION AND PROCESSING OF SPECIMENS, AND DETERMINATION OF BLOOD GROUPS IN OTHER TISSUES AND FLUIDS ARE EXPLORED IN A CHAPTER ON BLOOD AND OTHER BODY FLUIDS. HANDWRITING ANALYSIS INFORMATION FOCUSES ON BASIC TERMINOLOGY, GRAPHOANALYSIS, TRAINED VERSUS UNTRAINED GRAPHOLOGISTS, FACTORS AFFECTING HANDWRITING, AND SYSTEMS OF CLASSIFICATION. DATA ON THE GENERAL BIOLOGY OF HAIR, INFORMATION THAT CAN BE DERIVED FROM HAIR SAMPLES, DISTINGUISHING HAIR FROM OTHER SUBSTANCES, AND THE USE OF HAIR AS EVIDENCE ARE COVERED IN THE FINAL CHAPTER. IN EACH OF THE CHAPTERS, THE UNDERLYING RATIONALE FOR THE SPECIFIC METHOD OF IDENTIFICATION IS EXPLAINED, AND STATE-OF-THE ART TECHNIQUES ARE REVIEWED. THE BOOK IS RECOMMENDED FOR COURSES AND WORKSHOPS ON INDIVIDUAL IDENTIFICATION FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT STUDENTS AND INSERVICE POLICE OFFICERS. THE TEXT IS ALSO VALUABLE TO PERIPHERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL, OTHER MEMBERS OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, ATTORNEYS, GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, AND INTERESTED MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--RCB)