Extensive studies of high-Tc cuprate superconductors have stimualted investigations into various transition-metal oxides. Mott transitions in particular provide fascinating problems and new concepts in condensed matter physics. This book is a collection of overviews by well-known, active researchers in this field. It deals with the latest developments, with particular emphasis on the theoretical, spectroscopic, and transport aspects.

I Theory of Mott Transition and Correlated Metals.- Classification Scheme of the Metal-Insulator Transition and Anomalous Metals.- The Mott Transition: Results from Mean-Field Theory.- Some Aspects of Spin Gap in One- and Two-Dimensional Systems.- Quasi-Particles in Two-Dimensional Hubbard Model: Splitting of Spectral Weight.- Almost Localized Fermions and Mott-Hubbard Transitions at Non-Zero Temperature.- Anomalous Physical Properties Around Magnetic and Metal-Insulator Transitions - A Spin-Fluctuation Theory.- Exact Diagonalization Study of Strongly Correlated Electron Models: Hole Pockets and Shadow Bands in the Doped t - J Model.- II Electronic Structure.- Electronic Band Structures of LaMO3 (M = Ti, V, Cr, ..., Ni, Cu) in the Local Spin-Density Approximation.- First-Principles Calculations of the Electronic Structure and Spectra of Strongly Correlated Systems: LDA + U Method.- Unrestricted Hartree-Fock Study of Perovskite-iype Transition-Metal Oxides.- Electronic Structure of Transition Metal Compounds.- Core-Level Spectroscopy in Early-Transition-Metal Compounds.- Systematics of Optical Gaps in Perovskite-iype 3d Transition Metal Oxides.- III Charge Transport and Excitations.- Optical Spectroscopy on the Mott Transition in Perovskiteiype Titanates.- Spectral Weight Transfer and Mass Renormalization in Correlated d-Electron Systems.- Charge Transport Properties of Strongly Correlated Metals near Charge Transfer Insulator to Metal Transition.- Infrared Studies of Kondo Insulator and Related Compounds.- IV Magnetic Response.- Magnetic Correlations in Doped Transition-Metal Oxides.- Spin and Charge Differentiation in Doped CuO2 Planes Observed by Cu NMR/NQR Spectra.- Orbital-Spin Coupling in V2O3 and Related Oxides.- Magnetic and Transport Properties of the KondoLattice Model with Ferromagnetic Exchange Coupling.- V New Materials.- Superconductivity, Magnetism and Metal-Insulator Transitions in Some Ternary and Pseudoternary 3d-, 4d-, and 5d-Metal Oxides.- NMR Studies of Superconductivity and Metal-Insulator Transition in Cu Spinel CuM2X4 (M = Rh, Ir and X = S, Se).- Index of Contributors.