Elastomers and Composites, J . M. Charrier, C. Hanser Publishers, Munich, 1990,655 pages, Hard- cover U.S. $60.00 The concept of the polymeric material is one of the great ideas of twentieth century chemistry. The influence of these engineering materials spread rap- idly in many areas of the natural sciences and tech- nology. Polymeric Materials and Processing is an intro- ductory textbook covering all major topics associated with the continually growing area of high polymers. The book contains 7 chapters: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. General Introduction General Concepts and Topics Classes of Polymeric Materials ( thermoplas- tics, thermosettings, elastomers, selected special polymeric products) Properties and Standard testings Processing Techniques (extrusion, film blowing, calenderic, thermoforming, blow molding, coating, injection, etc.) Applications History, Economics, Information and Edu- cation A fine, well-written, easy-to-use textbook rec- ommended to those who want to acquire knowledge and understanding of polymeric materials (plastics, elastomers, composites) and their processing tech- niques. D. Feldman Concordia University Montrgal, Qubec, Canada Modern Methods of Polymer Characteriza- tion Edited by Howard G. Barth and J immy W. Mays, Wiley-Interscience, New York, 561 pages, $110.00, 1991. This volume is a most welcome addition to the polymer literature. The first three chapters deal in great depth with gel permeation chromatography. Journal of Polymer Science: Part B: Polymer Physics, Vol. 30.1427-1428 (1992) 0 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. CCC OsS7-6266/92/01201427-2 Chapter 4 discusses the little used but most intrigu- ing technique of field-flow fractionation. Chapter 5 covers the theory of various uses of inverse gas chromatography. Osmotic techniques and intrinsic viscosity are dealt with in Chapters 6 and 7. Chapter 8 covers the use of the ultracentrifuge, Chapter 9 low-angle laser light scattering, Chapter 10 NMR spectroscopy of polymers, Chapter 11photocorre- lation spectroscopy, and Chapter 12 mass spectro- scopy. All the discussions are authoritative on an ad- vanced level. There are a few items I missed. In the discussion of GPL there is no mention of the be- havior of polyelectrolytes [ cf., Roches, Domard, and Rinaudo, Eur. Polym. J., 16, 175 (1980)], and en- thalpic effects [ cf. Klein and Westerkemp, J. Polym. Sci., Polym. Chem. Ed., 19,707, (1981 )]. In Chapter 7 the Fuoss-Strauss formula for the concentration dependence of the polyelectrolyte solution viscosity has been superseded [cf., Cohen and Preil, Macro- molecules, 22,2356 ( 1989)]. I n Chapter 9 the state- ment that knowing the refractive index increment a single experiment yields Mw and A 2 is misleading. I found a single misprint. On p. 210, the ordinates of Fig. 4 should have been labeled rather than ( a / c ) . Once again, this is a very valuable book which should be part of the library of every polymer sci- entist. Herbert Morawetz Polytechnic University Brooklyn, NY 11201 Emulsion Polymer Technology, Robert D. Athey, J r., Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, 1991. 304 pp. $110.00 The authors objective is to provide simple expla- nations for numerous issues of the chemistry and physics of polymers and colloids operative in emul- sion polymer manufacture and use. The book is in- tended for users such as chemists and engineers in- volved in paint, textile, paper, etc. technology. It is organized into four major parts: Introduction, The Monomers, Analysis and Testing, and Additives for Postpolymerization Compounding. The introduc- tory section has brief chapters on basic concepts of polymers (mainly polymerization) and colloids. One 1427