Any living being is a reflection of its enzyme arsenal. We are and do what our enzymes permit.

This book was written, as all textbooks should be, with the requirements of the student firmly in mind. It is intended to provide an informative introduction to enzymology, and to give a balanced, reasonably-detailed, account of all the various theoretical and applied aspects of the subject which are likely to be included in an honours degree course. Furthermore, some of the later chapters may serve as a bridge to more advanced texts for students wishing to proceed further in this area of biochemistry. Although the book is intended mainly for students taking first degree courses which have a substantial biochemistry component, large portions may be of value to students on comparable courses in biological sciences, biomedical sciences or forensic sciences, and even to ones emolled on, in one direction, foundation programmes, or, in the other, MSc or other advanced courses who are approaching the subject of enzymology for the first time (or the first time in many years). Enzymes are the lead actors in the drama of life. Without these molecular machines the genetic information stored in DNA is worthless. With rising attention to the fashionable fields like molecular biology, genetic engineering, and biotechnology, the techniques to manipulate DNA have occupied center stage. Being popular, many concepts of molecular biology/genetic engineering are now introduced to undergraduates. Unfortunately, this has happened at the cost of other fundamental facets of biology, including enzymology. In the excitement to collate volumes of data for Systems Biology (and the various “Omics” fashions), the beauty and vigor of careful analysis – one enzyme at a time – is neglected. It is an intellectual challenge to assay individual enzymes while avoiding complications due to others – an almost forgotten activity in modern biology. Many in the present generation assume that performing one standard assay will tell you everything about that enzyme. While biochemists spent lifetimes on a single native enzyme, the notion today is that one can characterize a mutant in the morning! Over the last three decades devoted enzymologists have become a rare breed. Many Biology teaching programs have expanded in the areas of molecular and cellular biology while they manage with a makeshift enzymology instructor. New students who are attracted to the study of enzymes do exist, but they find themselves in a very bleak teaching environment. Not surprisingly their numbers are dwindling. Reservoirs that are not replenished may soon run dry.The ease with which sophisticated data are collected nowadays has dispirited the slow and burdensome approach of resolving and reconstituting a complex enzyme system. Micro-arrays that measure the transcription of many genes at a time disclose neither the abundance nor any attributes of the enzymes/proteins they encode. As F.G. Hopkins wrote in 1931 “..the biochemist’s word may not be the last in describing life, but without his help, the last word will never be said.” This is true of enzymology as well. While the interest and expertise in teaching/learning enzymology has declined exponentially, working knowledge of enzymology remains indispensable. Enzymes have come to occupy vast areas of modern biology research and the biotechnology industry. Enzymes whether used as popular kits, mere research tools, or for their own sake require a minimal appreciation of their workings. A tome on enzymology that focuses and logically connects theory of enzyme action to actual experimentation is desirable. One objective of this book is to bridge this gap and enable students to understand, design, and execute enzyme experiments on their own. Enzyme study can range from the simple to the most complicated. Approaches that can be performed in a modest laboratory setup and with no fancy equipment are needed. Conveying the excitement of enzymology within a modest budget and with few experiments is desirable.  Most biochemistry and molecular biology students are introduced to enzymes as commercial reagents and as faceless as buffers and salts. This has led to inadequate appreciation of enzymology and its practices.