Affinity Chromatography: Methods and Protocols, edited by P. Bailon, G.K. Ehrlich, W.-J. Fung and W. Berthold, Humana Press, Totowa, NJ, 2000, pp. 230.

552 calculations for students. Readers who do not know quantum calculations will be happy to find a definition of basis sets such as STO-3G or 6-31G* etc. However, the reviewer finds little interest in this book. Figures are poor, except for the ones in the Appendix. The rationales for the studies are lengthy and not convincing. The choices made in the approach are surprising. Indeed, the calculation of amino acids conformation in vacuum to understand their biological role is naive. The internal hydrogen bonds that are often found in this condition are likely not to be relevant in aqueous solution. The author herself recalls that the calculations cannot be performed with sufficient accuracy to be trustworthy, the example of proline with its puckered cycle is rather explicit in that respect. As a conclusion, this book gives a poor idea of the power of quantum calculations and shows applications with an approach bound to have a limited success. A. Blondel

S0300908401012871/BRV Affinity Chromatography: Methods and Protocols, edited by P. Bailon, G.K. Ehrlich, W.-J. Fung and W. Berthold, Humana Press, Totowa, NJ, 2000, pp. 230. This handbook has the ambitious purpose of giving a practical overview of a field which concerns almost any researcher in biology nowadays: that of affinity chromatography. It really answers a need, as chromatographic steps are too often overlooked in the ‘Materials and methods’ sections of scientific publications. Here, protocols are precisely described and generally well discussed, with plenty of troubleshooting advice. Although the book is mostly intended for new practitioners (both industrial and academic), it will certainly also provide experts with valuable information, as the field of affinity chromatography has become fantastically diverse since the concept was first introduced in 1968. The focus chosen by the editors is very down-to-earth: this approach will no doubt be useful to those who seek to master technical aspects, but will probably be tedious for those who would also like to understand more in depth the concepts and physico-chemical parameters involved in affinity chromatography, as well as its formidable potential. It is a pity that, apart from the excellent introduction written by Meir Wilchek and Irwin Chaiken, no chapter attempts to review the future perspectives of the field. Indeed, the vast majority of the book deals with rather ‘classical’ issues and methods. The only really innovative extension of affinity chromatography that is presented is phage display: despite the fact that this technique is highlighted on the front cover of the book, the two chapters that are devoted to it only just touch the subject, and probably not in a very relevant way, especially for beginners. As for quantitative affinity chromatography, including surface plasmon resonance (Biacore), it is only barely mentioned in two chapters. Not enough editorial effort seems to have been made to establish a logical order of chapters and to coordinate their contents. This is especially critical for an issue such as immunoaffinity, which is dealt with by three chapters that are well apart from each other in the book and include a good amount of duplication. The restricted space of the volume could therefore most certainly have been used in a more strategic way. The quality of the contents is very heterogeneous: while some chapters are very well structured and provide an interesting discussion of experimental procedures (special credit should be given to two chapters, one on Weak Affinity Chromatography and the other on Affinity Perfusion Chromatography), several others remain too superficial. However, as a whole and despite its shortcomings, the publication of this book is an excellent and timely initiative. P. England