This book was written primarily for the novice - the person who is qualified in another area (engineer, geologist, chemist, accountant, economist, etc); it is pitched at students of exploration seismology who want to know how and why in simple language. It can be used as a good basic text for teaching seismic methods. The text concentrates on seismic data acquisition in hydrocarbon exploration. It is light on mathematical methods but heavy on why we do things. Consequently, it will be a useful reference book for all those workers on seismic crews the world over who wonder how we possibly could get a profile through Earth by firing shots over it.