This volume pays tribute to two carbohydrate pioneers. H. Stetter highlights the life and work of Burckhardt Helferich, one of the last of Emil Fischer's proteges and a pioneer in protective-group strategy and glycosidic coupling. The scientific career of Francisco Garcia Gonzalez, presented by his students, A. Gomez-Sanchez and J. Fernandez-Bolanos (Seville) provides a sensitive account of the contributions of Spain's leading carbohydrate chemist whose work emphasized especially the reactions of monosaccharides that generate aromatic heterocycles.