This sourcebook brought together our knowledge about asteroids, based on a gather during the week of March 8-11, 1988 with move than 160 scientists from 14 countries who gathered in Tucson for the Asteroids II conference.

Asteroids II is not a sequel, per se, to the 1979 book Asteroids. It offered a fresh treatment intended to stand on its own as a complete description of the current understanding of the field. It was published in December 1989. The work showcased a large international collaboration, a sign of an active and growing discipline.