When starting work on luminescent materials, everyone is faced with the lack of introductory books. Two renowned researchers introduce the reader to luminescence and its applications. They describe the principles of the luminescence processes in a simple, but clear way and deal not only with physics, but also with the chemistry of systems. Particular attention is paid to materials such as lamp phosphors, cathode-ray and X-ray phosphors, scintillators and many other applications. The book is aimed at the researcher beginning work in this field and it provides a solid basis for further research.