Book excerpt: This book provides a comprehensive coverage of the basic principles of structural biology, as well as an up-to-date summary of some main directions of research in the field. The relationship between structure and function is described in detail for soluble proteins, membrane proteins, membranes, and nucleic acids.There are several books covering protein structure and function, but none that give a complete picture, including nucleic acids, lipids, membranes and carbohydrates, all being of central importance in structural biology.The book covers state-of-the-art research in various areas. It is unique for its breadth of coverage by experts in the fields. The book is richly illustrated with more than 400 color figures to highlight the wide range of structures.