Thomas L. Gilchrist. Addison Wesley: Essex, England, 1997. 414 pp. ISBN 0-582-27843-0. Paper, £22.99 Br., $35.47 U.S.

Since 1985, when the first edition of this text appeared, it has been a leader in its field. I used it in my Special Topics course for a year when the topic was heterocyclic chemistry. I liked it for it for its conciseness, which did not seem to compromise the charm or elegance of the chemistry. My students liked it for its accessibility and lucidity. They found the problems at the end of each chapter challenging but, more often than not, rewarding.

The second edition was published in 1992. The present edition updates the literature through 1996 and frequently guides the reader to review articles, as the previous one did. Added is some new organometallic chemistry, particularly palladium-catalyzed cyclization and coupling reactions. The reader will also find more frequent mention of important pharmaceutical compounds.

The overall text seems "brighter" and more engaging and is an excellent example of what can be done to introduce students to such a dense and protean field. This text could be used by advanced undergraduates or beginning graduate students, and even practicing chemists will find much of interest here.