A joint publication of Institute of Physics Publishing and Oxford University Press, the Handbook of Evolutionary Computation is the second in a series of three works that form part of the Oxford/IOP Computational Intelligence Library project. Also in the series are the Handbook of Neural Computation and the Handbook of Fuzzy Computation . Each of the three handbooks will be available in loose-leaf print form, as well as in an electronic version that combines both CD-ROM and on-line (via World Wide Web) access to the contents. In each case, regularly published supplements will be available on a subscription basis. Supplements to the Handbook of Evolutionary Computation will be published semi-annually after the core volume. The supplements will contain amendments to existing material, new articles to complement existing material, and new case studies describing real world applications of evolutionary computation. New information will be added to the online version as soon as it is available. A major reference publication devoted to evolutionary computation fundamentals, models, algorithms, applications, and case studies, this work will soon become the standard reference resource for the evolutionary computation community.