The Alkaloids, Volume 41 features four chapters by international experts from four different countries. Chapter 1, by B. Tantisewie and S. Ruchirawats, is devoted to alkaloids from the plants of Thailand, isoquinoline and their derived alkaloids, indole alkaloids, and miscellaneous alkaloids. The main focus is chemistry, with data on native uses of several species of alkaloid-containing plants. Chapter 2, by J. Kobayashi and M. Ishibashi, focuses on Marine Alkaloids II. The 83-page chapter contains 408 references -- one of the most complete reviews I have seen recently. Most of the alkaloids are from marine plants and several from unique animals (e.g., puffer fish, sponges, tunicates, etc.) These authors describe alkaloids from several classes including guanidine, indole, pyrrole, beta-carbolene, polycyclic, polyketides, peptides, and miscellaneous types. Some emphasis is given to unique pharmacological activities (e. g., antifungal, immunosuppressive, anti-vital, etc.), biosynthesis, and structural determination. Many unique chemical structures are also provided. Chapter 3, written by O. Boye and A. Brossi, features tropolonic Colchicum alkaloids and allo congeners including an introduction, new alkaloids from Colchicum species, physical properties, chemistry, marking the biological activities of these compounds, and clinical data -- a must for all researchers in the use of autumn crocus compounds in medicine, particularly the newer application of their use in the treatment of Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF), amyloidosis, cirrhosis, and inhibition of HIV replication. Chapter 4, by J. Greenhill and P. Grayshan, covers the cevane group of Veratrum alkaloids providing an introduction, recent synthetic methods, and tabulations of Veratrum alkaloids reported in the literature. The focus is on structures, preparation, melting points, and related physical data which will be of value to those doing isolation studies of this class of alkaloids. The authors have categorized the Veratrum alkaloids into at least 20 different groups. This is readable valuable data on new alkaloids and their activities from many sources otherwise difficult to obtain in one book. (Newer volumes in this series have been published with #47 being the most recent. Contact ABC Book Store for details.) Article copyright American Botanical Council. ~~~~~~~~ By Ara Der Marderosian, A Brossi and G. A. Cordell. Academic Press, 1250 6th Ave., San Diego, CA 92101. 1992. 252 pp. $95 (cloth). ISBN 0-12-469541-8. Available from ABC Books Item #B147.p#