The purpose of this book is threefold: (1) review, and I realized that the script had to present a short but comprehensive survey spontaneously taken on the size and format of the localization of a number of transmit- of a book. I wrote a letter to Mr. B. Lewer- ich, of Springer-Verlag, advising him that ters and other neuroactive principles in the mammalian central nervous system, (2) to there would be some delay in the production provide some comments on the relation be- of the third edition of The Human Central tween "classical" neuroanatomy and "chem- Nervous System, that I happened to have gen- ical" neuroanatomy, and (3) to suggest that erated an entirely different book on a brand by a synthesis of these two approaches of knowledge usually referred to as 'chemical "new" entities in the brain can, be delin- neuroanatomy', and that I should like to eated. publish this work, as previous ones, with of the origin of this volume is Springer. Mr. Lewerich's reply was quite The history somwhat unusual and may be worth relating. characteristic: 'I must admit that, in spite In a previous book, namely Nieuwenhuys, of seven years of cooperation, you still suc- Voogd and Van Huijzen: The Human Central ceed in surprising me; I had not the slightest Nervous System (second editi9n, 1981), there idea about your plans so far.