A series of new soluble polyamides having isopropylidene and methylsubstituted arylene ether moieties in the polymer chain were prepared by the direct polycondensation of 3,3Ј,5,5Ј-tetramethyl-2,2-bis[4-(4-carboxyphenoxy)phenyl]propane and various diamines in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP) containing CaCl 2 using triphenyl phosphite and pyridine as condensing agents. Polymers were produced with moderate to high inherent viscosities of 0.85-1.47 dL g Ϫ1 while the weight-average molecular weight and number-average molecular weight were in the range of 86,700 -259,000 and 43,300 -119,000, respectively. All the polymers were readily dissolved in polar aprotic solvents such as NMP, N,N-dimethylacetamide, and N,N-dimethylformamide, as well as less polar solvents such as m-cresol and pyridine, and even soluble in tetrahydrofuran. These polymers were solution-cast into transparent, flexible and tough films. All of the polymers were amorphous and the polyamide films had a tensile strength range of 82-122 MPa, an elongation at break range of 6 -18%, and a tensile modulus range of 2.0 -2.8 GPa. These polyamides had glass transition temperatures between 233-260°C and 10% weight loss temperatures in the range of 450 -489 and 459 -493°C in nitrogen and air atmosphere, respectively.