The sixth volume of The Total Synthesis of Natural Products continues editor John ApSimon's exploration of one of the most promising areas for the future development of organic chemistry: synthesis. ApSimon has compiled the first definitive reference source of successful synthetic approaches to a wide variety of natural products. This new volume considers the total synthesis of triterpenes, carbohydrates, aromatic steroids, pyrrole pigments and genes first reported during the period from 1972 through 1982 in this series. The Total Synthesis of Natural Products, Volume Six forms an integral part of the invaluable working reference begun in Volumes One through Five, to which chemists may turn for the available data on the total synthesis of complex molecules. Lessons learned from the synthetic challenges presented here by various natural products will serve as a sound base for this continually evolving field.