Research on grain legumes is now coming more to the forefront in the world as a whole than at any time in the past. This is reflected in the number of monographic treatments of individual legume crops which have appeared in the past decade. Forty years ago one would have been able to unearth rather little information on grain legumes generally and very little indeed specifically on tropical grain legumes. In present circumstances it still can be argued that the market is not as yet oversupplied with literature on the legumes. Be this as it may, it nevertheless behoves any author setting forth his labours before the public to define his aims and objectives as clearly as possible for the benefit of the potential reader. Most writers on technical subjects perhaps feel the urge to write the book they would themselves need if they were embarking on work in the field it covered. There has been a tendency in all this new writing for treatments to become very detailed and specialised. The rise of the multi-authored tome has been irresistible, with all this convergent thought; perhaps there is scope and a need for thinking on a broader front, in a more lateral vein.

My own contact with legumes as research material goes back to my student days, some thirty-five years ago. I found them to be problematic but fascinating then as I still do. They can be rewarding to work with but the rewards are often hard-won.