This book is the first in a series of three volumes that make up the second edition of Chemistry and Lithography (2010). Although it is continued in Vol. 2, Chemistry in Lithography, and Vol. 3, The Practice of Lithography, each volume stands on its own. Volume 1 of the second edition weaves together threads of a narrative on the history of optical and molecular physics, optical technology, chemistry, and lithography, with the aim to give readers new insight into an aspect of the relationships between these fields that is often not fully appreciated: how the marriage of chemistry and optics led to the development and evolution of lithography. The book shows how major developments in chemistry, physics, and the technology of light have influenced the invention and development of lithography well beyond what its inventor envisioned. It also shows how developments in lithography have not only influenced the development of optics and chemistry, but also have played a critical role in the large-scale manufacture of integrated circuits that run the computers and machineries on which our modern electronic and information age depend. Finally, this book provides an analysis of the emerging trends in lithographic patterning, along with the current and potential applications of the resulting patterned structures and surfaces.