Book excerpt: Polymer Yearbook 13 brings together reviews and information on the progress of polymer science worldwide, including useful and topical information such as a list of new publications in polymer science and a compilation of dissertation abstracts. This volume includes reviews of key aspects of polymer science, including contributions from Russia, and details of important publications., This volume also contains reviews on state-of-the-art Japanese research presented at the annual Spring and Fall meetings of the Japanese Polymer Science Society. The aim of this section is to make information on the progress of Japanese polymer science, and on topics of current interest to polymer scientists in Japan, more easily available worldwide.