A concise, balanced overview of the most important topics in experimental particle physics of the past forty years is presented in this comprehensive study. Beginning with a review of particle physics and electromagnetic and nuclear interactions, the book continues with a discussion of three nearly universal aspects of particle physics experiments: beams, targets and fast electrons. The second part of the text details the properties of various types of particle detectors, such as scintillation and Cerenkov counters, proportional and drift chambers, sampling calorimeters, and special detectors. The last chapter demonstrates how the various aspects of the previous chapters can be integrated in an experimental system. There are numerous references to the research literature, in addition to examples and workable problems.