This up-to-date reference on stellar populations and development models includes coverage of distant galaxies, chemical evolution and supernovae. Written by highly acclaimed authorities in the field, the book makes use of specific problems to reveal the 'kitchen secrets.'

Alvio Greggio held a professorship at the University of Bologna before he joined the European Southern Observatory (ESO) as Very Large Telescope program scientist, where he served until 2005; since then he is working at the National Institute of Astrophysics, INAF, in Italy. About 200 peer reviewed papers bear his name, making him one of the most cited scientists in his field.

Laura Greggio is Associate Astronomer at INAF. Her research focus is on stellar evolution and populations as well as supernovae.