Here is a unique pedagogical textbook by the gifted Professor Mildred Dresselhaus. It first provides a quick introduction to the theoretical background, the first four chapters which can be covered in six to eight classroom hours. From there, each chapter develops new theory while introducing applications so that students can best retain new concepts, build on concepts learned the previous week, and see interrelations between topics as presented. Essential problem sets between the chapters also aid the retention of the new material and for the consolidation of material learned in previous chapters. The text and problem sets provide a useful springboard for the application of the basic material presented here to topics in semiconductor physics and the physics of carbon-based nanostructures.