Guidebook on Molecular Modeling in Drug Design. By N. C. Cohen

This book is intended as a “guide for advanced students and chemists entering the field of molecular modeling”. The multi-author volume includes chapters which cover the topics of tools used for molecular graphics and modeling, molecular modeling of small molecules, computer assisted new lead design/drug discovery, experimental techniques and data banks, and modeling drug-receptor interactions. The editor is from the Pharmaceutical Division of Ciba-Geigy Ltd and hence has an excellent insight into the practical value of modelling techniques in drug design. The editor’s opening chapter provides an overview of molecular modeling in drug design which helps to illustrate the links between the subsequent chapters on the topics mentioned above. The final chapter is a glossary of terminology commonly used in the field of molecular modeling and drug design. This feature is a useful one and, in combination with the preceding chapters, helps the book to achieve its stated aim. Overall, the book promises to be a valuable source of information for chemists entering the field. One deficiency of the book is that it contains no colour illustrations. Since colour representations are such an integral part of modern modelling and graphics, this is a pity, however the decision not to include colour was probably taken to keep the cost of the book low.