First published in 1983, F.J. Ynduráin's book on Quantum Chromodynamics has become a classic among advanced textbooks. The new fourth edition maintains the high standard of its predecessors, expanding and improving on the previous edition and presenting new material. The book offers basic knowledge of field theory and particle phenomenology. The author presents the basic facts of quark and gluon physics in pedagogical form. Explanations of theory are supported throughout with experimental findings. The text provides readers with sufficient understanding to follow modern research articles. This fourth edition presents a new section on heavy quark effective theories, more material on lattice QCD and on chiral perturbation theory.