In the 12 years that have passed since the publication of Riintgenspektren und chemische Bindung, the original German work on which- this text is based, several aspects of high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy have devel- oped rapidly. After accepting the suggestion of Dr. R.D. Deslattes that a translation should be prepared, we thoroughly revised the book in order to include these recent developments in theory, equipment and applications. The latest...