This volume contains the lectures and seminars on Coronas, Gas Discharges, Diagnostics, Plasma Chemistry, and Applications pre sented at the Advanced Study Institute on Breakdown and Discharges in Gases. The Institute was held in Les Arcs, France, during June 28 to July 10, 1981. The first volume has been devoted to the areas of Basic Discharge Processes, Kinetic Theory and Gas Break down. This collection is both tutorial and representative of the state of the field. We hope it will be useful both to beginners and experienced researchers. We are grateful to a number of organizations for...