Vertebrate Hair Cells: Modern and Historic Perspectives -- The Development of Hair Cells in the Inner Ear -- The Structure and Composition of the Stereociliary Bundle of Vertebrate Hair Cells -- Mechanoelectrical Transduction in Auditory Hair Cells -- Contribution of Ionic Currents to Tuning in Auditory Hair Cells -- The Synaptic Physiology of Hair Cells -- The Piezoelectric Outer Hair Cell -- Mammalian Vestibular Hair Cells. 'Vertebrate Hair Cells' provides a current overview of the mechanosensory receptor cells of the vertebrate inner ear. Each chapter is written by experimentalists active in exploring a particular aspect of hair cell function, including development, mechanoelectrical transduction, and synaptic transmission. Hair cell research has entered an exciting phase in which the convergence of molecular/genetic and biophysical methods is stimulating a rapid expansion in our understanding of function. The intended audience ranges from senior undergraduates to scientists in the field of hair cell research. Ruth Anne Eatock is Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas. Richard R. Fay is Director of the Parmly Hearing Institute and Professor of Psychology at Loyola University of Chicago. Arthur N. Popper is Professor in the Department of Biology and Co-Director of the Center for Comparative and Evolutionary Biology of Hearing at the University of Maryland, College Park.