This is the ``second edition'' of my thesis dissertation, revised after its defense on March the 13th 2009. I have tried to address some of the valuable comments from the committee and included their corrections. I have also slightly updated the text with the most recent developments in the field, that is quickly progressing.
This manuscript (slightly modified for pedagogical/editorial exigencies) has been published by VDM Verlag as a monograph under the title Microcavity Quantum Electrodynamics (ISBN: 978-3-639-19460-9).