The Wiley Polymer Networks Group Review Series Volume 2 Synthetic versus Biological Networks Edited by B. T. Stokke and A. Elgsaeter The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway This, the second volume in the series, presents articles from the 14th Polymer Networks Group conference which took place in Norway in July 1998 The focus of the conference was 'Synthetic versus Biological Networks' with papers highlighting the different ideas emerging from investigations into synthetic polymer networks as opposed to, and in comparison with, polymer networks of biological origins. The papers published in this volume have been divided into six sections: Network Formation Network Characterization Polymer Networks and Precursor Architectures Biopolymer Networks and Gels Biomedical Applications of Polymer Networks Polymer Networks in Restricted Geometries