Solid state chemistry is today a frontier area of mainstream chemistry. It plays a vital role in modern-day materials science. This book is a collection of selected papers of Prof. C. N. R. Rao, who has made such monumental contributions to this subject. His contributions have covered every single aspect of solid state chemistry. This includes synthesis, characterization, structure, phase transitions, defects, transition metal oxides, metal-nonmetal transitions, superconductivity, fullerenes and other nanomaterials. This text offers to to give a balanced coverage of the different facets of solid state chemistry.