rd This book has been developed from the proceedings of the 3 Tannin Confer­ ence honoring Professor Edwin Haslam, Department of Chemistry, University of Sheffield, for his efforts and outstanding contributions to the field of plant polyphe­ nols. The meeting was held in Bend, Oregon, July 20-25, 1998, with the objective of promoting collaboration between chemists and biologists to improve our under­ standing of the biological significance and to expand possibilities for use of plant polyphenols. Special efforts were made to summarize current research on the in­ nd fluence ofthese compounds on human health. As in our 2 Tannin Conference held in Houghton, Michigan, June 1991, we strove to build the "international" charac­ ter of this meeting and were rewarded by an attendance of over 150 guests from 23 countries who enjoyed more than 50 lectures and 60 presentations. Our thanks go to all those who contributed to our meeting. A special thanks is extended to Professor G. Wayne McGraw, Department of Chemistry, Louisiana College, Pineville, Louisiana, who served as the financial manager of our meeting. He, his wife Bobbie McGraw, and Helen Hemingway worked hard to make this meeting run as smoothly as possible. We also would like to thank the Bend Chamber of Commerce, Central Oregon Community College, The Riverhouse, Interstate Tours, Wanderlust Tours, and the people of Bend for welcoming our group to Central Oregon.