Book excerpt: While this important reaction class is among the most important and most widely used in organic chemistry, this is the first book to summarize the many different olefination methods, including: * Wittig reaction * Peterson reaction * Julia olefination * Utilizing the Tebbe and related reagents * Low-valent chromium, zinc or titanium mediated olefination * McMurry coupling plus the related reactions in each case and the application to asymmetric synthesis. It thus collates in one ready reference the current level of knowledge as well as new developments in this constantly evolving field -- information which until now has been dispersed throughout the literature.