This unusual book is a rare personal exploration of a wide range 
of current physics and astrophysics by a distinguished scientist; 
it was planned to educate budding scientists on important new
topics. 

The book is excellent reading for intelligent undergraduates and 
for graduates facing a decision on the field in which they will 
work. It should prove an education for specialized research 
scientists, teachers and Federal-agency decision-makers and
planners.

The discovery of Higg’s Boson was done today (04 July 2012), we would see a book whose title resonates with the meaning of this discovery. In this post have a book by Vitaly L. Ginzburg titled Key Problems of Physics and Astrophysics.

About the book author says:

 “I came to the decision to write this book having in mind that there was so much interesting in various areas of physics and astrophysics and yet many budding physicists and students were not aware of this and could hardly find out for themselves. So I decided to do something constructive in this way, to describe briefly some urgent problems of physics and astrophysics.”

One of the reviewers of the book in Physics Today (July 1977) says following about the author:

Ginzburg is a generalist whose encyclopedic reading and depth permit coverage of a variety of such novel, specialized material. He uses order-of-magnitude (nearly dimensional) formulas, sufficient to provide quantitative estimates. He appreciates the experimenter’s contribution. The book provides a model of how non-theorists can judge what realms of theory may be illuminated by work in a new range of photon and particle energy, how new technologies may be used to good effect.

The book has three sections dealing with Macrophysics, Microphysics and Astrophysics and in the end is full of references for each of the fields.

This book was translated from the Russian by Oleg Glebov and was first published by Mir in 1976 with a revised and enlarged edition in 1978. Link below is for 1978 print.

You can get the book here.

Update: 06 December 2015 | Added Internet Archive Link

For torrent/magnet link go here.

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Preface
Preface to the 1978 Edition
Introduction

1. Macrophysics

§ 1. Controlled Thermonuclear Fusion
§ 2. High-Temperature Superconductivity
§ 3. New Substances (Production of Metallic Hydrogen and Some Other Substances)
§ 4. Metallic Exciton (Electron-Hole) Liquid in Semiconductors
§ 5. Second-Order Phase Transitions (Critical Phenomena)
§ 6. Matter in Ultrahigh Magnetic Fields
§ 7. X-Ray Lasers, Grasers and Superpowerful Lasers
§ 8. Studies of Very Large Molecules, Liquid Crystals. Some Surface Phenomena
§ 9. Superheavy Elements (Far Transuranides)

2. Microphysics

§ 10. What Is Microphysics?
§ 11. The Mass Spectrum (The Third Spectroscopy)
§ 12. Fundamental Length (Quantized Space, etc.)
§ 13. Interaction of Particles at High and Superhigh Energies
§ 14. Weak Interactions. Violation of CP Invariance
§ 15. Nonlinear Phenomena in Vacuum in Superstrong Electromagnetic Fields
§ 16. Microphysics Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

3. Astrophysics

§ 17. Experimental Verification of the General Theory of Relativity
§ 18. Gravitational Waves
§ 19. The Cosmological Problem. Singularities in General Relativity Theory and Cosmology
§ 20. Is there a Need for “New Physics” in Astronomy? Quasars and Galactic Nuclei
§ 21. Neutron Stars and Pulsars. Physics of “Black IIoIes”
§ 22. Origin of Cosmic Rays and Cosmic Gamma and X-Ray Radiation
§ 23. Neutrino Astronomy
§ 24. The Present Stage in Development of Astronomy

Concluding Remarks

Addendum

References