The first English edition of this book was pubUshed in 1971 with the late Prof. Dr. Werner Kern as coauthor. In 1997, for the preparation of the third edition, Prof. Dr. Helmut Ritter joined the team of authors and in 2001 Prof. Dr. Brigitte Voit and Prof. Dr. Matthias Rehahn complemented this team. The change in authors has not altered the basic concept of this 4th edition: again we were not aimed at compiling a comprehensive collection of recipes. In­ stead, we attempted to reach a broader description of the general methods and techniques for the synthesis, modification, and characterization of macromo- cules, supplemented by 105 selected and detailed experiments and by sufficient theoretical treatment so that no additional textbook be needed in order to under­ stand the experiments. In addition to the preparative aspects we have also tried to give the reader an impression of the relation of chemical structure and mor­ phology of polymers to their properties, as well as of areas of their application.