Comprehensive Polymer Science. By S. L. Aggarwal

This final supplement to the excellent series of Comprehensive Polymer Science books is fully up to the high standard set by the originals. The chapters are each on topics carefully chosen to fall in the categories (i) recent developments justifying critical reviews or (ii) polymer topics of current interest excluded from the earlier volumes. Despite the wide range of topics and the country of origin of the authors, each an expert on the topic presented, there is a pleasing commonality of style throughout the book. This is a credit to the coordinating editors.

There are 19 chapters under 7 general headings covering over 700 pages. The chapters I have read are extremely comprehensive, detailed (some making digestion a little difficult for the non-expert in the particular field) and authorative. As a means of obtaining up-to-date expert information on topics ranging from polymerisation (4 chapters) and characterisation (2 chapters) through structure/property information (11 chapters) to recycling and microwave processing (one chapter each), this is an excellent book to have available.