Here is the definitive introduction to polymer chemistry. This lively book takes the reader through the historical beginnings of polymers, the development of high-tonnage materials in the early part of the twentieth century, and on to the most modern high-performance materials available today. The authors are both experience educators and practitioners within the polymer industry and are uniquely qualified to discuss basic academic principles of polymers as well as their commercial application. Unlike other texts in this area, it successfully describes the exciting principles and varied applications that contribute to the use of plastics in every aspect of modern life.