This book, originally published in 1979, was derived from courses offered at the Friedrich-Schiller University in Jena, Germany. The American Ceramic Society republished this text in 1985, adding more than 100 new figures and references to demonstrate recent advances in glass technology. This text represents a comprehensive presentation of the entire field of glass chemistry, especially emphasizing contributions from German pioneers Otto Schott and Ernst Abbe.

Werner Vogel studied physics at the Friedrich-Schiller University of Jena, where he received his PhD in 1980 and worked as a research assistent at the Physics Department. After three postdoc years at the University of St. Petersburg, he finished his habilitation thesis in Jena and became Lecturer for Theoretical Physics at the College of Education in Gustrow in 1989. Since 1992, he has been Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Rostock.