This review of protein-based materials from a materials science perspective is divided into three sections: the chemical and biological approaches to this class of materials; introductions to the key classes of protein materials - silks, protein composites and elastomeric and adhesive proteins; and processing issues, such as liquid crystal phase formation, the spinning of protein fibres, formation of protein-based films and coatings, and self-organizing protein systems. This book is the first in a sequence of Birkhauser texts describing biologically-inspired materials and their role in biotechnology. This interdisciplinary field, best described by the term "biomimetics" (as in mimicking nature), is a cross-section of biology, chemistry, materials science and engineering.