Starbursts are regions of unusually rapid star formation often located in the central parts of galaxies. Recent observational and theoretical developments have emphasized their importance to understand the connection between star formation, the interstellar medium, and the secular evolution of galaxies. In this book, leading experts in the field introduce the basic processes involved in the physics of starbursts, the phenomenological concepts which are used to describe and model their triggering and evolution, and their link to galaxy formation and history. A specific effort is made to start with pedagogical presentations and to review the state-of-the art of the observations and models, emphasizing the recent breakthroughs and the major issues to be explored in the future.