Textiles are ubiquitous materials that many of us take for granted in our everyday lives‎.‎ We rely on our clothes to protect us from the environment‎,‎ for modesty‎,‎ to enhance our appearance and reflect our personality‎.‎ Beyond these traditional applications‎,‎ high‎-performance fibres have been specifically developed for more demanding roles in protective garments‎,‎ industrial work‎-wear‎,‎ car tyres‎,‎ parachutes and artificial arteries‎.‎ This is the only book to describe the chemistry of textile fibres at a level appropriate for ‎'‎A‎'‎ level students and first‎-year undergraduates following courses in textile science and technology‎.‎ Readers with a background in chemistry and an interest in the principles of functional fibre development will also find it to be of value‎.‎ The book explains the characteristics required for polymers to be fibre‎-forming‎,‎ the general physical properties needed from textile fibres‎,‎ and the chemistry of important natural and synthetic fibres‎.‎ The book also deals with the essential chemistry of "high‎-performance" fibres that possess functionalities beyond those of materials traditionally used for apparel‎.‎ Later chapters describe methods of fibre enhancement and fibre blending‎.‎