Here is a vital new source of "need-to-know" information for cotton industry professionals. Unlike other references that focus solely on growing the crop, this book also emphasizes the cotton industry as a whole, and includes material on the nature of cotton fibers and their processing; cotton standards and classification; and marketing strategies.

C. Wayne Smith is an associate professor and director of the Archaeological Preservation Research Laboratory - APRL . He holds the INA Faculty Fellowship. Working as a conservator, he specializes in the preservation of organic artifacts using silicone oils, resins, and other polymers. Archaeological Conservation Using Polymers, his most recent work published by Texas A&M University Press, discusses practical applications for the stabilization of organic artifacts. Since 1981, he has participated in survey and shipwreck assessment in the Great Lakes and participated as a student and research assistant in excavations at Port Royal, Jamaica. Working in conjunction with Donny L. Hamilton of Texas A&M University and Dow Corning Corporation of Midland, Michigan, he has developed and patented new conservation strategies and industrial applications. He also participates in numerous joint international research projects.

J. Tom Cothren is the editor of Cotton: Origin, History, Technology, and Production, published by Wiley.