Developing and testing novel energetic materials is an expanding branch of the materials sciences. Reaction, detonation or explosion of such materials invariably produce extremely high pressures and temperatures. To study the equations-of-state (EOS) of energetic materials in extreme regimes both shock and static high pressure studies are required. The present volume is an introduction and review of theoretical, experimental and numerical aspects of static compression of such materials. Chapter 1 introduces the basic experimental tool, the diamond anvil pressure cell and the observational...