From August to September 1998, a group of 75 physicists from 52 laboratories in 15 countries met in Erice, Italy, for the 36th Course of the International School of Subnuclear Physics. This book constitutes the proceedings of that meeting. It reviews the present status of subnuclear physics and its connections with the fundamental problems of physics, such as the unification of all gauge forces.
Opening lecture, E. Witten; hot topics, G.G. Ross, H. Fritz et al; HEP from the QCD to the GUT scale, G. Hooft, R. Barbieri et al; gravity and cosmology - towards the Hubble radius, K. Skenderis; are there alternatives to standard inflation? N. Turok, G. Veneziano; thhe glorious days of physics, G. Hooft; reports, U.F. Becker, A. Wagner and A. Bettini; future, B.H. Wiik and A. Zichichi; special sessions for new talents, M. Blasone, D. Enstrom et al; closing lecture, L.D. Faddeev.