An explosive is a material, either a pure single substance or a mixture of substances, which is capable of producing an explosion by its own energy. It seems unnecessary to define an explosion, for everyone knows what it is — a loud noise and the sudden going away of things from the place where they have been...
The present volume contains in one binding the whole contents of Volume I, first published in May, 1941, and the whole contents of Volume II which was published in March, 1943.

The book is primarily for chemists. The writing of it was commenced in order that a textbook might be available for the use of students in the course in powder and explosives which the author gave for about twenty years to forth-year and gratuate students of chemistry and of chemical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The writing of it was completed while WWII raged and while many chemists, not previously trained in powder and explosives, were at work preparing, studying, and testing these materials.

The purpose of the book is to supply chemists with information concerning the modes of behavior of explosive substances and concerning the phenomena, both chemical and physical, which they exhibit. No effort has been made to describe the use of explosives in ammunition and in blasting beyond the minimum of description which is need to make clear the chemical engineering aspects of their manufacture.