This book discusses the anatomy and evolution of the Alps, a renowned mountain belt, which serves as an example for illustrating processes that also take place, albeit in a modified form, in other mountain belts. This book discusses what is special, or even unique, about the Alps, places them into the context of the Mediterranean Collision Zone and compares them to the Himalayas and Andes in particular. This book addresses graduate students and professionals (University and Industry) in Geosciences and is intended to be attractive for specialists and non-specialists in Alpine research alike.