This special publication Perspectives in Carbonate Geology is a collection of papers most of which were presented at a symposium to honor the 80th birthday of Bob Ginsburg at the meeting of Geological Society of America in Salt Lake City in 2005. The majority of the papers in this publication are connected with the study of modern carbonate sediments. Bob Ginsburg pioneered the concept of comparative sedimentology – that is using the modern to compare to and relate to and understand the ancient. These studies are concerned with Bob's areas of passion: coral reefs and sea-level; submarine cementation and formation of beach rock; surface sediments on Great Bahama Bank and other platforms; origin of ooids; coastal sediments; formation of stromatolites; impact of storms on sediments; and the formation of dolomite. The remainder of the papers apply the study of modern environments and sedimentary processes to ancient sediments. Recent other publications of the International Association of Sedimentologists SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS 40 Analogue and Numerical Modelling of Sedimentary Systems From Understanding to Prediction Edited by P. de Boer, G. Postma, K. van der Zwan, P. Burgess and P. Kukla 2008, 336 pages, 172 illustrations 39 Glacial Sedimentary Processes and Products Edited by M.J. Hambrey, P. Christoffersen, N.F. Glasser and B. Hubbard 2007, 416 pages, 181 illustrations 38 Sedimentary Processes, Environments and Basins A Tribute to Peter Friend Edited by G. Nichols, E. Williams and C. Paola 2007, 648 pages, 329 illustrations 37 Continental Margin Sedimentation From Sediment Transport to Sequence Stratigraphy Edited by C.A. Nittrouer, J.A. Austin, M.E. Field, J.H. Kravitz, J.P.M. Syvitski and P.L. Wiberg 2007, 549 pages, 178 illustrations 36 Braided Rivers Process, Deposits, Ecology and Management Edited by G.H. Sambrook Smith, J.L. Best, C.S. Bristow and G.E. Petts 2006, 390 pages, 197 illustrations 35 Fluvial Sedimentology VII Edited by M.D. Blum, S.B. Marriott and S.F. Leclair 2005, 589 pages, 319 illustrations REPRINT SERIES 4 Sandstone Diagenesis: Recent and Ancient Edited by S.D. Burley and R.H. Worden