Full of novel insights informed by years ofresearch and teaching, R.D. Blake has written a new text that examines thebiophysics and biochemistry of nucleic acids and proteins. This book carves outthe dynamic interface between chemistry and molecular biology, and provides adetailed picture of nucleic acids and proteins, their structures, biologicalproperties, and origins and evolution. While pitched at a level that isaccessible to upper-level undergraduate students of biology, the book willlikewise be of keen interest to researchers and graduate students in biology,chemistry and the physical sciences. A broad range of topics accompanied withextensive references, footnotes, boxed asides, chapter ending problems, anddetailed illustrations throughout combine to make this an ideal choice forcourses on advanced biochemistry, physical biochemistry, nucleic acids andproteins, biophysics and biochemistry, molecular evolution, and protein-nucleicacid interactions.