This illustrated text provides undergraduate and postgraduate students with an accessible introduction to medicinal chemistry. It covers basic principles and background, and then describes the general tactics and strategies employed in developing an effective drug. Through the use of numerous examples, it highlights both the difficulties faced by the medicinal chemist and the great power and potential of rational drug design. This book is suitable for undergraduates on courses in chemistry (2nd and 3rd year) and medicinal chemistry (1st and 2nd year), and postgraduate chemists beginning work in pharmaceutical research.