This is the first volume of the celebrated Polymer Yearbook to be published by Rapra Technology. Polymer Yearbook 18 is a collection of articles that highlight some important areas of current interest in polymer science. There are a total of 16 chapters in this book. The diverse topics covered include synthesis of new materials, the kinetics of polymerisation and the characterisation of polymer systems. Articles consider the progress which has been made into the synthesis of new materials: polyperylene carboximides and polynaphthalene carboximedes, and key steps in the mechanism of stereochemical control in diene polymerisation using lanthanide catalytic systems. Both of these topics are of general interest and highlight specific aspects of the synthetic method. An article on the organosilicon copolymers with cyclosiloxane fragments in the side chain discusses the synthesis of these materials and also considers their application in the electronic industry. The electronic interest is extended in the article on polyfluoro(meth)acrylates for optical fibers coating: synthesis, general kinetic regularities of their formation and properties. A connecting theme of this volume is the application of fractal analysis to a number of problems in polymer science. The topic is introduced in a general manner and a series of shorter articles illustrate the application of the method to a wide range of polymer situations and systems. These articles include consideration of the description of PMMA molecular orientation due to clustering, the fractal analysis of curing processes of epoxy resins, and the structural aspects of adhesion in particulate-filled polymer composites. The fractal theme is continued with consideration of the change of microgels structure on curing epoxy polymers in fractal space and an article that considers the various levels of fractality in

polymers. The possibility of a connection between fractality of the thermal fluctuation and the free volume in glassy polymers is also explored. This book will be of interest to anyone working in the field of polymer science that wants a state-of-the-art view of current 'hot topics'.