Published to commemorate the centenary of Alfred Nobel's death, this unique book details the science, technology and use of high explosives. It covers a wide spectrum of topics ranging from the historical background to both the past and present evolution of the science, and includes more forward looking chapters relating to the modern use of explosives in mining, quarrying and civil engineering, as well as the more esoteric applications in the space programmes and forensic science. Explosives in the Service of Man will be of direct relevance to practitioners of mining, quarrying and civil engineering as well as to manufacturers and researchers involved in the use of explosives as an engineering tool. It will also be of wider interest to archivists, historians and librarians.