Of the four extensive chapters in this volume, the first two describe the reactive behavior of condensed phase explosives,

- Condensed-Phase Explosives: Shock Initiation and Detonation Phenomena (SA Sheffield and R Engelke)

- First Principles Molecular Simulations of Energetic Materials at High-Pressures (F Zhang, S Alavi, and TK Woo),

and the remaining two discuss the inert, mechanical response of solid materials.

- Combined Compression and Shear Plane Waves (ZP Tang and JB Aidun), and

- Dynamic Fragmentation of Solids (D Grady).

All chapters are each self-contained, and can be read independently of each other. They offer a timely reference, for beginners as well as professional scientists and engineers, on the foundations of detonation phenomena, high strain rate response behavior, and on the burgeoning developments as well as challenging unsolved problems.