Seven decades of "advances"

The field of carbohydrate science, as documented in the 70 volumes of Advances in Carbohydrate Chemistry (and Biochemistry) during the years 1944 through 2014, is surveyed. Subject areas detailed in individual volumes cover a broad range to include fundamental structural studies, synthesis, reactivity, mechanisms, analytical methodology, enzymology, biological and medicinal applications, food technology, and industrial and commercial aspects. The contributions of many prominent research leaders in the carbohydrate field are recorded in biographical memoirs. Stages in the development of internationally accepted systems for naming carbohydrate structures and for their graphical depiction are noted, and indexing questions for retrieval of data are addressed.