Coated vesicles are structurally distinct cellular organelles with a variable geometry limited by, amongst other factors, Eulers theorem. They occur in organisms as diverse as pigs and Protozoa. Just as other organelles, e.g. lysosomes and microtubules, became the object of increased research effort subsequent to their first successful isolation, we believe that coated vesicles, which have recently been isolated successfully and consistently in different laboratories, are poised ready for examination by a range of refined molecular and immunological techniques.

Our aims for this volume include the gathering together of relevant information which will act as a reference for researchers in and entering this field. We will definitely produce the best source book on the subject, for the simple reason that there is no other! The fact that we can make this claim reflects what we think is an extremely serious imbalance. Whereas we would not wish to promote the use of weight of published material as a yardstick for the quality of the science it contains, we cannot help but notice that the published volumes on lysosomes and mitochondria already fill complete shelves in biomedical reference libraries; we wish to go a small way towards redressing this balance by producing one volume on coated vesicles.

A critic might be tempted to suggest that there is as yet no volume on coated vesicles because not enough is known about them to make one worthwhile.