There are two major classes of books in a professional library. First, there are the books that you read once and never take off the shelf again. These are always easily identified because they have shiny bindings and look nice on the shelves. Then there are those books that are so indispensable that you find yourself referring to them almost every day. Over time, their bindings become broken and the cover becomes shopworn. They are respected members of your professional family. This book by Kocienski will definitely fall into this latter category. It possesses a number of noteworthy features: it is well organized, covers useful information, and is eminently readable - an excellent combination.

(Published in Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol. 128, No. 21, 2006).

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