The first volume in The Oxford Handbook of Auditory Science, The Ear serves both as an introduction and as a reference work for anyone interested in the auditory periphery. Each chapter includes a mix of tutorial and advanced information. Throughout the book, the focus is on mechanistic, functional evidence, with many chapters concentrating on cellular and molecular explanations of cochlear function. In addition to basic function, the development and regeneration of the inner ear are described, as are the growing body of ear-related genes identified through studies of human deafness and animal mutants. This knowledge is applied to the human condition in descriptions of pathogenic mechanisms, and existing therapies, especially the cochlear implant. Whether the reader is a student entering the field, a clinical practitioner, or a worker in an allied field of study, this volume will be a valuable resource of basic information, and perhaps a catalyst to making their own contributions to the ongoing challenge, and adventure, of understanding the beautiful mysteries of the ear.