[en] Comprehensive and easy to understand, this introductory text on superconductivity was especially written for the non-specialist. The author, an active researcher in the field for more than forty years, first presents the fundamental considerations - without too much mathematics. He describes the various phenomena connected with the superconducting state, provides experimental facts and discusses numerous examples for modern applications. The new high-temperature superconductors are also dealt with in detail. For almost two decades now, the German version of this book - currently in its fourth edition - has been the best-selling standard work on superconductivity. (orig.)