This pedagogically rich text has all the necessary features to ''hook'' introductory students and keep them interested and successful in preparatory chemistry. This book carefully guides beginning students through the fundamental principals and calculations required for their subsequent success in either the general chemistry course or the short organic and biochemistry course. Krimsley, while dedicated to conceptual understanding and skill building, presents a solid book that provides students with complete explanations on every point and helps them work through the material methodically, with many examples and hints. His approach is cohesive and coherent, always patient and interesting. Krimsley introduces all topics through an example students are already familiar with. He continually reminds them of objectives, and provides many opportunities to practice and then check their answers. The text begins with a study of atomic and molecular structure prior to treating the various categories of chemical reactions. The organization is designed to ''get students'' into chemistry quickly yet methodically. The classification of matter begins in Chapter 2, before the chapter on measurement, and the coverage of bonding appears in Chapter 8. The elementary concepts of chemistry are presented with an emphasis on mathematical calculations and problem-solving strategies.