The purpose of this treatise is to present a systematic treatment of the theory of metal cutting and basic underlying principles of machine tool design so as to unveil the basic fundamentals in a small concise textbook. No attempt has been made to incorporate thumb-rules. Emphasis has always been placed on the logical analysis, without elaborating irrelevant details. The authors have laid stress on giving the up-to-date information on the researches carried out throughout the world in this field, with suitable references to encourage the students to go through the original monumental works of the acknowledged leaders in this area-Zoka, Loladye, Loenigsbcrges and others. The speciality of the treatise, by and large, is in the inclusion of illustrative examples and problems for classroom exercise. It has been designed to formalise the course structure in the format of a textbook. At the end, a few typical syllabi have been included to illustrate how the treatise covers a given course outline. Overall, a must for those interested in Machine Tools.