  In these lectures I present a highly opinionated review of the observed
patterns of metallicity and element abundance ratios in nearby spiral,
irregular, and dwarf elliptical galaxies, with connection to a number of
astrophysical issues associated with chemical evolution. I also discuss some of
the observational and theoretical issues associated with measuring abundances
in H II regions and gas and stellar surface densities in disk galaxies.
Finally, I will outline a few open questions that deserve attention in future
investigations.
