Let me start from a very simple, albeit circular, definition: nonlinear science is the study of those mathematical systems and natural phenomena that are not linear. Ever attuned to the possibility of bons mots, Stan once remarked that this was "like defining the bulk of zoology by calling it the study of 'non-elephant animals'." His point, clearly, was that the vast majority of mathematical equations and natural phenomena are nonlinear, with linearity being the exceptional, but important, case.
It includes theoretical discussions of scaling, the renormalization group, the standard model which encompasses the electroweak theory and quantum chromodynamics, grand unified theories including supersymmetry, superstrings and the family problem. The experimental articles focus on tests of the standard model, underground experiments, and accelerator developments including plans for the SSC. The volume closes with a provocative round table discussion among workers in the field that gives a broad perspective as well as personal viewpoints.