What makes consumers buy, or what causes them not to buy, has long been the subject of research, and today it is a well worn topic of conversation. Agricultural economists are professionally concerned with consumers' demand for food and the motivation of their choices. Through the years, fashions in this area of research have changed, as have the phrases used to describe it. Twenty years ago the key phrase was "food habits," later abandoned for "consumer preferences." More recently, it has become "motivation research." No matter what the name, agriculture has a stake in the results. The editors offered Miss Burk the opportunity to review some of the recent contributions to the subject, and what began as a review of several books developed into the discussion that follows.