Publishers note

Summary

Dr David Aidley died suddenly but peacefully at home on August 24th 2000.

David was a gifted teacher: generations of students at the University of East Anglia benefited from his broad knowledge and relaxed style. A much wider audience knew David through his books, which over a thirty-year period have provided information, guidance and inspiration to students and their teachers in many parts of the world. The Physiology of Excitable Cells was first published in 1971 and is currently available in a fourth edition. Nerve and Muscle (with Richard Keynes) first appeared in 1981 and the third edition was to appear in proof the week he died. Ion Channels: molecules in action (with Peter Stanfield) was published in 1996. Each book represents an exemplary example of lucid prose and a clear grasp of the subject matter.

David was the perfect author; his books were delivered on time, in good order and each found a ready audience. He was, for these and many other reasons, a delight to work with, and we join his many friends in lamenting his untimely death and extending our condolences to his wife Jessica and their family.