This book succeeds in providing an experimentalist's view of quantum optics, complementing the many standard texts which take a theoretical point of view (see, e.g., M.O. Scully and M.S. Zubairy Quantum Optics, Cambridge University Press, 1997). As the title indicates, the book focuses mainly on experimental efforts and the realistic conditions of experimental tests. The choice of topics was clearly the result of the author's experience in the field of experimental quantum optics and a solid understanding of the pedagogical requirements of the material.