This book is Volume I of a new series by Springer entitled Topics in Heterocyclic Chemistry. At present, there are six such monographs in this series, the overall scope of which is to cover "current trends in heterocyclic chemistry". Given the importance of heterocylic natural products and heterocyclic scaffolds in the realm of medicinal chemistry and drug discovery, an up-todate series on this subject is well warranted, and a survey of the recent impact of microwave-assisted synthesis on this venerable field is both timely and needed.
Overall, this is a well thoughtout, up-to-date, and informative text written by the many of the leaders in this emerging field. While the editors and authors have done an admirable job of presenting a snapshot of the current state of microwave-assisted heterocyclic chemistry, they have also exposed the fact that much remains to be done in this area, a feat that may be accomplished when this powerful technique has achieved greater acceptance. Finally, although the publication of this volume coincides with the introduction of several excellent monographs on microwave chemistry to the market, the value of the present text is not diminished by these more comprehensive surveys of the topic, in which the coverage of heterocyles is typically limited to a single chapter.