Creating a Major Textbook

Abstract Two earlier pieces published in Logos described the stories behind the publishing of Richard Dawkins’s The Selfish Gene , still selling after almost 50 years, and Peter Atkins’s Physical Chemistry textbook, still selling, now in its 12th edition published in 2023. This piece tells the story behind the publishing of another major textbook, of organic chemistry: why there was a market, the gradual bringing together of a team of four authors, the writing, taking four years, and eventual publication in 2000. The textbook’s reception is described from the different perspectives of teacher, reviewer, and student. A conclusion looks to the future: are the days of big science course textbooks numbered?