This book is a collection of significant papers which have appeared in the Journal of Polymer Science over the years since 1945, and celebrates 50 years of publication. These reprinted articles are presented in their original format and accompanied by commentary from the original authors when possible or experts in the field, describing the significance of the paper in the development of that particular area of polymer science.

David A. Tirrell is an American chemist and the Ross McCollum-William H. Corcoran Professor and Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology. Eli M. Pearce was research professor at New York University Polytechnic School of Engineering and a past-president of the American Chemical Society. He received a B.S. degree in chemistry from Brooklyn College in 1949. Pearce earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn.