A wide range of microbiologists, molecular biologists, and molecular evolutionary biologists should find this volume of singular interest. It summarizes the present knowledge about the structure and stability of microbial genomes, and it reviews the techniques used to analyze and "fingerprint" them. Maps of approximately 30 important microbes, along with articles on the construction and relevant features of the maps are included. The volume is not intended as a complete compendium of all information on microbial genomes, but rather it focuses on approaches, methods and good examples of the analysis of small genomes.