The Third Binational USA-USSR Symposium titled "Laser Optics of Con densed Matter" was held in Leningrad 1 June - 5 June 1987. This volume con tains the full text of 64 papers presented at (or prepared for) the Symposium in both plenary and poster sessions. This Symposium reestablished the very productive series of "Light Scattering" Binational Symposia which were initi ated in Moscow in 1975. Unfortunately there was an eight-year hiatus follow ing the Second Symposium in New York (1979). This interval, caused by serious chilling of the climate of USA-USSR collaboration, deprived the active...