This volume bridges two topics of considerable current interest: pattern formation in nonequilibrium phenomena and physics of liquid crystals, both active and diverse areas of research. Because liquid crystals form large-scale and regular patterns under the influence of a variety of applied fields they are fruitful materials to study the spontaneous formation and evolution of ordered and disordered patterns. The chapters, each by a noted researcher in the field, briefly summarize the fundamental work done in the 1960s but concentrate on reviewing results from the recent resurgence of interest in the field as well as indicating the direction of current work.