The lattice dynamics of molecular crystals has undergone an enor mous progress in these last twenty years or so. The experimental and theoretical advances have been realized by two different approaches. From one side molecular spectroscopists have been primarily interested in the vibrational properties of the molecules themselves subjected to the perturbing influence of the crystal environment. From the other side the lattice dynamical theory familiar in solid state physics for atomic lattices has been extended to molecular arrays. Although the overlap between the two approaches has been considerable the reference material is rather scattered in specialized papers. The purpose of this book is to partly fill this gap and to discuss the lattice dynamical theory of molecular crystals in a compact and specialized form. As such, the book is not intended exclusively for researchers and specialists in the field but also for graduate students entering an activity in solid state molecular spectroscopy.
