Saccharides are widely distributed in all living life forms and glycobiology is the study of their structure, biosynthesis, biology, and evolution. It is a rapidly growing field, relevant to many areas of basic research, biomedicine, and biotechnology. The field includes the chemistry of carbohydrates, the enzymology of glycan formation and degradation, the recognition of glycans by specific proteins, roles of glycans in complex biological systems, and their analysis and manipulation. Essentials of Glycobiology is the field's most authoritative textbook, offering an overview suitable for advanced undergraduates and graduate students in molecular and cellular biology and biomedicine. In an entirely revised and updated fourth edition, the book retains a broad focus and applicability to fields ranging from biology and medicine to chemistry and materials science, with excellent artwork and chapters written by an international selection of leading investigators.