Spectacular, enormously powerful star-forming events are seen in some galaxies to be triggered on large scales, often as a result of interactions between galaxies. Interest in this field has grown rapidly since the discovery of infrared bright galaxies by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite, in 1986. An intriguing implication of this research into starbursts is that active galactic nuclei (AGN) may not be powered by accreting black holes. Instead compact regions of dust-enshrouded star formation may drive activity in AGN, with supernovae exploding roughly once per year, in massive nuclear concentrations of gas. From a timely international conference in Elba, Italy, in 1992, this book collects both essential review articles with those on leading recent advances. It describes observations of gas and star-formation in normal galaxies, starburst galaxies and AGN, with an emphasis on new models of AGN; details the interaction between massive stars and their IS environments; specifies models for large-scale star-formation; and describes observations of star complexes. These articles comprise a thorough review of the most important developments in galactic-scale star formation since the starburst revolution began; it will both introduce the graduate student to this exciting area and inform the expert of the rapid advances apace.
