Clear and comprehensive, this volume is not only an informative guide for practitioners in the field of plastics, but also an indispensable aid for plastics engineers, polymer scientists, chemists, physicists and materials scientists. It presents a precise, non-mathematical introduction to plastics, their raw materials, syntheses, properties, and applications, discussing the manufacture and properties of plastics as a function of the molecular and supermolecular properties of polymers. This seco..nd edition does not dwell on general chemistry, but provides more in-depth coverage of properties as well as polymer blends, composites and reinforced plastics. It naturally also includes those new developments and trends that have occurred since the last edition. H.G. Elias, a former professor at MIT, is one of the most renowned specialists in the area of macromolecules, polymers and plastics.