Book excerpt: The papers collected together in this volume constitute a review of recent research on the response of condensed matter to dynamic high pressures and temperatures. Inlcuded are sections on equations of state, phase transitions, material properties, explosive behavior, measurement techniques, and optical and laser studies. Recent developments in this area such as studies of impact and penetration phenomenology, the development of materials, especially ceramics and molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations are also covered. These latest advances, in addition to the many other results and topics covered by the authors, serve to make this volume the most authoritative source for the shock wave physics community.