A full literature and patent account (about 100 references) is given on work describing vinyl polymerization to form the homopolymer poly(norbornene). The interest in vinyl-poly(norbornene) is driven by its dielectric and mechanical properties for the technical application as an interlevel dielectric irt minoelectronics applications. For comparison, the norbornene/olefin copolymerization is dsicussed also. The metal catalysts are introduced:and important polymer product properties are emphasized. The six possible isomers for stereoregular poly(norbornene) are presented. The six different isometric stereoregular norbornene polymers, shown as tetrameric units or tetrades. Solely cis double-bond opening is assumed for the six isometric forms (see text).