New 1,4-naphthyl and 2,6-naphthyl-containing polyarylates having inherent viscosities up to 1.28 dL/g were synthesized by the high-temperature solution polycondensation from the acid chloride of 1,4-bis(4-carboxyphenoxy)naphthyl or 2,6-bis(4-carboxyphenoxy)naphthyl and various bisphenols. Most of the resulting polyarylates showed amorphous characteristics and were readily soluble in common organic solvents such as N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc), N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), o-chlorophenol, and chloroform. Transparent, flexible, and colorless films of these polymers could be cast from the DMAc solutions. Their cast films had tensile strengths ranging from 54.9 to 84.2 MPa, elongations at break from 5.3% to 19.0%, and initial modulus from 2.0 to 2.8 GPa. These polymers had glass transition temperatures in the range of 172-280 degrees C and began to lose weight around 400 degrees C, with 10% weight loss being recorded at about 450 degrees C in air. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) reveals that the polyarylates containing isopropylidene linkages have three transitions on the temperature scale between -100 and 300 degrees C. However, only two transitions were observed in the other polyarylates without isoproylidene linkage.