Abstract. Fourth-order semilinear parabolic equations of the Cahn-Hilliard-type (0.1)are considered in a smooth bounded domain Ω ⊂ R N with Navier-type boundary conditions on ∂Ω, or Ω = R N , where p > 1 and γ are given real parameters. The sign " + " in the "diffusion term" on the right-hand side means the stable case, while " − " reflects the unstable (blow-up) one, with the simplest, so called limit, canonical model for γ = 0,The following three main problems are studied: (i) for the unstable model (0.1), with the −∆(|u| p−1 u), existence and multiplicity of classic steady states in Ω ⊂ R N and their global behaviour for large γ > 0; (ii) for the stable model (0.2), global existence of smooth solutions u(x, t) in R N × R + for bounded initial data u 0 (x) in the subcritical case p ≤ p * = 1 + 4 (N −2)+ ; and (iii) for the unstable model (0.2), a relation between finite time blow-up and structure of regular and singular steady states in the supercritical range. In particular, three distinct families of Type I and II blow-up patterns are introduced in the unstable case.