  We estimate the luminosity function of field galaxies over a range of ten
magnitudes (-22 < M_{B_J} < -12 for H_0 = 100 km/s/Mpc) by counting the number
of faint APM galaxies around Stromlo-APM redshift survey galaxies at known
distance. The faint end of the luminosity function rises steeply at M_{B_J}
\approx -15, implying that the space density of dwarf galaxies is at least two
times larger than predicted by a Schechter function with flat faint-end slope.
Such a high abundance of dwarf galaxies at low redshift can help explain the
observed number counts and redshift distributions of faint galaxies without
invoking exotic models for galaxy evolution.
