This edition, considerably revised since Russian publication in 1954, now includes the theories of thermal and chain explosion reviewed in the light of very recent work. The classical example of the reaction between hydrogen and oxygen is treated in detail, and among the large selection of chain reactions analyzed are the gas phase cracking of hydrocarbons and the oxidation of methane and other hydrocarbons in the liquid phase. The book summarizes many recent and unpublished Soviet investigations in the field.