It is a basic property of nature that our world possesses a structural distinction between past and future; in physics this is known as time asymmetry, and it is a controversial and obscure area of study. Can the asymmetry in time of the everyday world be accounted for on the basis of conventional physics? If so, what is the nature of asymmetry? What is its origin? Are there other, less conspicuous asymmetric processes? The author examines these questions in the light of research covering a wide range of physics, encompassing such diverse topics as a statistical and quantum mechanics, electromagnetic theory, elementary particles, and cosmology. He claims that the major problems remaining are philosophical and conceptual rather than physical, and offers a summary of our present understanding of the subject and suggestions for further research. --- from book's back cover