Organic geochemistry applied to petroleum exploration has been, for almost fifty years, one of the main fields of research in the Geology-Geochemistry Department of Institut Français du Pétrole. The book, entirely dedicated to this subject, was conceived to pay homage to Bernard Tissot and to celebrate his admission to the French Académie des Sciences, thus testifying of our gratitude and respect through this series of papers.

This work includes one of the founding papers in organic geochemistry written by Bernard Tissot, together with a series of new articles that provide an overview of the research in this domain. It thus provides historical insights into the evolution of ideas, summarizes the basic technical principles of petroleum geochemistry and gives examples of research activity in geochemistry currently underway at IFP, including its application to basin modeling. The book is designed for all scientists in both academia and industry who want to understand the methods and techniques for using geochemistry in the world of petroleum.