Due to their medicinal activity and potential use as synthetic starting materials, studies on beta-lactams have increased significantly. This unique volume takes readers on a tour de force from the concept of antibiosis to the serendipity of antibiotics, evolution of beta‐lactam development, and molecular biology of antibiotic resistance. These areas of research have culminated in a deeper understanding of microbiology, particularly in the area of bacterial cell wall synthesis and recycling. Considerable work has been performed by chemists and biologists to continue updating their findings about beta-lactam synthesis.