The ability of proteins to fold rapidly and efficiently into intricate and highly specific structures following their synthesis on ribosomes is an essential part of the conversion of genetic information into cellular activity. However, little is understood in detail of how this occurs. The Royal Society meeting on which this volume is based focused on the molecular basis of the folding processes and brought together a wide range of leading experimental and theoretical scientists in this field. This volume offers an authoritative collection of the foundations of current work. The first section discusses the experimental elucidation of the pathways of protein folding. The second section looks at theoretical approaches to folding, and the final group addresses the issue of how proteins fold in vivo. This volume will be of value to all those with an interest in protein folding, especially those in molecular biology, biochemistry and cell biology.