This compendium provides a concise and up-to-date assessment of critical recent issues related to erythroid biology. Developmental, epigenetic, methodological, biochemical, and clinical aspects are integrated to provide a powerful overview of their interrelationships and importance to the generation of the red cell. The excitement generated by these novel observations and the anticipation of future directions in studies of the red cell is a highlight of this volume. *The first comprehensive volume covering the breadth of the topic *The latest advancements that lead to novel directions in the study of red cells *An informative discussion of red cells as they relate to the essential oxygen-carrying component of the body