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Materials Science and Technology: A Comprehensive Treatment Edited by R.W. Cahn, P. Haasen, and E.I Kramer (VCH Publishers, 18 volumes). ISBN: 156081-190-0
The overall structure of this impressive 18-volume series is as follows (the seven volumes published to date and reviewed here are denoted by an asterisk): The foundations of materials science (six volumes):
Volume 1—Structure of Solids Volume 2—Characterization of Materials Volume 3—Electronic and Magnetic Properties of Metals and Ceramics* Volume 4—Electronic Structure and Properties of Semiconductors* Volume 5—Phase Transformations in Materials* Volume 6—Plastic Deformation and Fracture of Materials The properties of specific materials (six volumes):
Volume 7—Constitution and Properties of Steels* Volume 8—Structure and Properties of Nonferrous Alloys Volume 9—Glasses and Amorphous Materials* Volume 11—Structure and Properties of Ceramics Volume 12—Structure and Properties of Polymers Volume 13—Structure and Properties of Composites The latest processing methods (four volumes):
Volume 15—Processing of Metals and Alloys* Volume 16—Processing of Semiconductors Volume 17—Processing of Ceramics Volume 18—Processing of Polymers Specific applications (two volumes):
Volume 10—Nuclear Materials Volume 14—Medical and Dental Materials* It is important to appreciate the scale of this enterprise. On its own, each volume merits a review of the length we have been allocated for the first (seven-volume) tranche of the series. Each volume has an editor who is well-established in the particular field, and most volumes comprise 600800 pages each with up to 15 chapters covering specialized topics written by acknowledged authorities. Each chapter contains a notable list of symbols and abbreviations, and each volume has an excellent index. Given the size and scope of the project,
MRS BULLETIN/DECEMBER 1992
perhaps it isn't surprising that we were asked to take our traditional Open University team approach to reviewing it. Each of us has read at least two volumes, one as an expert and another as an informed browser. It is a tremendous challenge to devise and implement a series with such ambitious aims: "It is intended to mark the coming-of-age [of materials science], define its nature and range, and provide a comprehensive overview of its principal constituent themes." This mission is impossible, of course, in the sense of satisfying all needs and interests. However, on the basis of the seven available volumes, and bearing in mind the qualifications outlined below, we are confident that the series will be acknowledged as a significant compendium of developments in materials science. Of course, the nature of materials, and therefore their uses, is extremely diverse which means that the scientists and engineers involved in researching, developing, producing, and designing with them have a variety of backgrounds and interests. Ask any members of this materials community what they would like to find in a series entitled "Materials Science and Technology," and their answers will
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