" The phenomenon we now call "speckle" was first sketched in 1877 by Karl Exner.  Speckle was re-discovered in the early sixties, following the invention of the laser, and has continued to fascinate scientists by its infinitely variable characteristics.  In the mid-1960s, a young Joseph Goodman, working at the Stanford Electronics Laboratories, wrote a detailed, but unpublished, report that established the basic statistical properties of speckle.  Forty years later he has written the most comprehensive book on the subject.  This is the definitive textbook, an instant classic, written by a master of his subject who is also a dedicated teacher."

---Christopher Dainty, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland