A superb compilation of reviews from leading experts in the field of nuclear receptors, volume 16 in the "Advances in Developmental Biology" series covers the role of different nuclear receptor subfamilies in development, physiology and metabolism. This volume brilliantly reviews how genetic defects in the function of nuclear receptors leads to various developmental defects. Receptors discussed include: thyroid receptors, peroxisome proliferators activated receptors, and retinoic acid receptors. Additionally, this volume offers an indispensable chapter on the orphan receptors Ftz-F1, COUPs, and RORs in embryonic and postnatal development. It provides a compilation of reviews of several nuclear receptor subfamilies such as TRs, PPARs, RARs, the orphan receptors COUP-TFs, RORs, and Ftz-F1 in embryonic and postnatal development. It offers a detailed section on retinoid receptor signalling and covers the role of co-repressers and co-activators in modulation of nuclear receptor functions.