Crystallography Books

I first read this book as a graduate student in Materials Science. It was the assigned textbook for a graduate level course in dislocation theory. As a materials scientist working the the field of extended defects, I am not aware of any book that has the depth and breadth of Hirth and Lothe. This book is heavily mathematical, however, and not for the casual reader. Those who have benefited from an advanced undergraduate or graduate course in electricity and magnetism will find the stress and strain fields of dislocation lines similar to electric and magnetic fields. A number of different crystal lattices are addressed in this book, including the diamond cubic lattice that is essential to those of us studying semiconducting materials. This book also provides a good introduction to linear elasticity theory.

I have been reading it to gain better insight into dislocation theory. I have found it very helpful.

It is very good for Graduate student working in the area of any kind of deformation behavior of materials. This book is very helpful for understanding from fundamental concepts to dislocations and the related phenomena.

This classic text is a complete treatise on the concept of dislocations and their interactions with various other defects in crystalline materials. The dislocation concept is built up using basic theory of linear elasticity (Part 1 of the text). Hence, this book is ideal for someone with an elaborate background in Mechanics/Elasticity and looking to extend their backgroud in Crystal Plasticity from a Materials Science perspective. Parts 2-4 of the book will be of particular interest, as they deal with substantial Materials Science issues important at the atomic/meso-scale level.

For a Materials Scientist, while Part I might prove to be a challenge, as the references might not be as helpful as one might like (the authors do confess to not being exhaustive in their literature survey), Part 2-4 would be particularly useful in developing a basic intuition in the various dislocation-based phenomena important for understanding the various structure-property relationships that exist in crystalline materials.

From Front Jacket:

"This important new encyclopedia is a milestone in lapidary publishing. It is the first reference source to present data on every known species and variety of gemstone. Furthermore, its rich selection of color photographs shows more species than have ever before appeared in one volume.

You can easily find the data you need to identify any gemstone. An alphabetical listing arranges gems according to mineral species. There is also a complete cross index of familiar gem names. Information on each gem includes chemical formula, crystal structure, colors, luster, hardness, density, cleavage, optics, spectral data, luminescence, and sizes. Over 200 mineral species are covered, and the color plates illustrate more than 185 of these -- including all known color varieties of each species. For as many as 100 of the rarer species a color photograph appears for the first time in print.

Arem's transparencies represent today's most sophisticated techniques for gem photography. Resulting from his own 3 year effort, they show the exact color of faceted gemstones while displaying to best advantage the cut and brilliance derived form the cutting. At the same time 'hot spots' or specular reflections from individual facets are avoided. The photos achieve naturalistic solidity and dimension, in many cases clearly revealing the degree of birefringence in a gem, as well as any inclusions.

Some of the data published have never been published before, such as the dispersion values for 15 gem materials. These values are calculated from material scattered throughout mineralogical literature, and reworked to make them useful to gemologists.

Of practical interest to gem cutters is a special graph relating critical angle and refractive index. Other books list critical angles for various gems, but, because of the wide range in optical properties in certain gem species, these numbers are not always valid. The graph included here makes it possible to determine this exact critical angle to use for the specific material to be cut."

Outstanding color photographs to review, that are matched to technical data regarding the various gemstone "families". There is a very fine topic governing "colors" of gemstones as well. Joel Arem has done a very fine job!

It is a real shame that this book is presently out-of-print, I borrowed it from the local library some 5 years ago, and to this date have yet to see anything better in this genre. The technical data about precious stones - such as dispersion, types of refraction, specific gravity, types of cutting, and so on - are well covered, with specific commentaries on individual stones presented in encyclopaedic format. It's very useful not only for specific reference but just for general browsing. What sets this book apart, on the other hand, is the quality and quantity of the gem photography. There are pictures of every major and minor gem in the world, and where a particular type of stone has more than one color - or colors - the entire suite of colors is presented. So the garnets, sapphires, diamonds, tourmalines, topazes, beryls (just to name a few) look positively kaleidoscopic. The opal section alone has some magnificent stones, including top-quality Lightning Ridge black, one of which is photographed from different directions to demonstrate the superb color play. The zircon and spinel photography is quite impressive too.

This book is emphatically not for the investor or speculator who is looking for advice, and no attempts at valuation are made. On the other hand, for readers interested in specific gemmological research or (esoteric) appreciation, this book will be ideal. The level of scholarship is impeccable, and the book is not overwhelmingly technical or difficult. It is not cheap but is worth every penny. Most strongly recommended.

I am a crystal vibrational healer..& Reiki master crystals are a large part of my everyday healing practice, this is a wonderful addition to my many favorites.. the information is easy & quick as a referance.. and right in alignment with information that comes threw divinely..I LOVE THIS BOOK...blessings

360 colour pictures you can use the index as a crystal reference book and take advantage of the birth DAY stone information.

Embracing your unique crystal motifs for your natal chart is a required course for anyone seeking to understand metaphysics. Marina has had almost two decades working with crystal energy which makes this book a very authoritative subject from which people can have life-shifting changes. There are millions of people who never go beyond sun signs in the newspaper, and they never find anything really worthwhile. This book encourages people to be willing to face life squarely and get down beneath the surface of life where the verities and realities are to be found. It is an opener which holds the promise of leading a more vibrant and mythic life from pathos to possibilities. This book is a miracle of truth telling. She was met with the unenviable task of truncating 360 degrees of soothsaying wisdom into single messages, affirmations and captions. This was carefully reduced from the gigantic wealth of autumnal psychic impressions received by clairvoyant Elsie Wheeler last century. There is infinitely more to realise and it pays to persist working with them as there are greater shores of rich knowledge to discover. By working with crystal energy you can gracefully transform psychological blocks inherent in your chart and be in possession of more charisma and personal power. This book also provides direction which are illuminated from this random oracular system for bringing strength and potency to you born of 360 degrees of wisdom. It is a marvelous guide for people wanting to step into your true destiny which redefines wholeness and is a truly dynamic method for radiating well-being and fulfulling your life purpose. The book is only an appetizer and there is more in the depths of occultic and esoteric knowledge to know! It is an introduction for those unfamiliar with astrology or for a novice. I would recommend to start here first and then read the wonderful "360 Degress of Wisdom" by Lynda Hill and "The Astrological Oracle" by Lyn Birkbeck. I look forward to futher offerings by Marina Costelloe, she is a seasoned and gifted writer who is willing to be the bridge from which all possibilites emerge. When you delve into Sabian Symbols you will release they are a profound gift from the divine which are a necessary and dynamic method for changing your life for the better, which afterall is everything your life should be! Sabian Symbols are a true prescription for living which enables you break through old paradigms and to live life more freely and with thunderous grace. I hope this honest provocative work inclines the reader on a quest to go beyond the surface to explore them in all their depth and radiance.

Modern structural biology adds a third dimension to biochemistry. Rather than puzzling over bands on a gel or struggling to decode the linear sequence of a protein or nucleic acid, the modern structural biologist sits at the computer and glides virtually through landscapes of titanic molecules to examine active sites, ligand binding pockets, hydrogen bonding, or some other aspect of molecular nature. The one technology that has, more than any other, made this expansion of perception possible is X-ray crystallography. The methods that were once the province of mineralogists studying exquisite but decidedly non-living crystals have given us new eyes into the workings of life.

But, how is it done? The arcana of crystallography is daunting as can be seen from any textbook on the subject. Is the intelligent layperson to be left with no hope for that elusive quality, scientific literacy, in crystallography without painfully slogging through chapters of dry equations and prose? My advice to anyone seeking scientific literacy is to seek out the literate scientist. For crystallography that scientist is Celerino Abad-Zapatero who has written an introduction to crystallography entitled "Crystals and Life: A Personal Journey". The title is an appropriate word play on the title of a classic in the field, "Crystals and Light" by Elizabeth Wood who was an early popularizer of science with her book, "Science from your airplane window."

For the reader more accustomed to dispassionate technical prose, the informal character of the book is pleasantly surprising. This book is more like sitting down after dinner with the scientist than like sitting in a lecture hall. The chapters are individual essays grouped into subject categories and arranged in logical order. Early chapters provide an intuitive understanding of the basics of crystallographic technique in the author's informal style along with a rich variety of historical vignettes and personal insights. For instance, the technical issue of analysis of waves is presented in analogy to listening to an orchestra in a concert hall along with some information on the life of Fourier. Middle chapters are concerned with such things as the history and importance of the Protein Data Bank or the structure of silk. The later essays focus on the future of crystallography with, for example, a philosophical discussion of the revolutionary nature of the field. There is also an intriguing essay on the thermodynamics of living systems in which the author proposes that life exists in an additional state of matter, the "living state", and ends quoting a poem illustrating how the interplay between static and dynamic forces can produce poetry.

This is not a handbook or practical introduction to crystallography but, for crystallographers the book will be enjoyable for its many insights from an experienced practitioner and its affirmations of the beauty of crystals and crystal structures. It will perhaps be most useful for providing an accurate notion of what crystallographers do and what they are all about to those who may never have the pleasure of refining a protein structure.

This delightful book, in the best tradition of science for the educated layman and humanities for the scientist, brings the world of crystals alive. It resonates! The author's amiable style and broad knowledge as a protein crystallographer and lover of culture combine to give great pleasure to the reader. Present at the creation (he was part of the Purdue team that solved one of the first virus crystal structures) Dr. Abad leads us deeper into the magic world of crystals through these intriguing essays which explore crystallography through the music of Segovia, the designs of the Alhambra, the work of M. C. Escher, the development of x-rays, how we "hear" a symphony or experience Chillida's "Combs of the Wind," "The Ring of the Nibelung," Tolkien's Frodo and more.

This delightful book, in the best tradition of science for the educated layman and humanities for the scientist, brings the world of crystals alive. It resonates! The author's amiable style and broad knowledge as a protein crystallographer and lover of culture combine to give great pleasure to the reader. Present at the creation (he was part of the Purdue team that solved one of the first virus crystal structures) Dr. Abad leads us deeper into the magic world of crystals through these intriguing essays which explore crystallography through the music of Segovia, the designs of the Alhambra, the work of M. C. Escher, the development of x-rays, how we "hear" a symphony or experience Chillida's "Combs of the Wind," "The Ring of the Nibelung," Tolkien's Frodo and more.

This book is the first book on computational materials science that embraces all the scales of modeling (as the title implies). The first 4 chapters are pretty much a review in Quantum Mechanics, Statistical Mechanics, Continuum Mechanics, and Condensed Matter Physics. This book could be used as a supplement text for a condensed matter physics course or a stand alone text for a Computational Materials Science course. This book is required reading for anybody doing modern materials modeling. Finally, Phillips has a lively writing style. For example, if you already know about tight-binding methods you will not be bored by reading that section in the book.

This is the absolutely best book I have seen in the general materials science field--the writing is clear, the explanations excellent, and detail sufficient. The books title is correct, but I think a bit unfair--the book really shines as a general, graduate level introduction to all of materials science, if you take the quite reasonable view that the ability to better model crystals, defects, and microstructures forms the core of the field.

As the author staes in the introduction, this books teaches you habits of the mind and modes of thought that help link up the disparate fields that make up materials, mechanics, and condensed matter physics.

There is no book in my (admittedly limited) library I got more out of during the course of my studies.

Final note: the book has excellent references, and is typset beautifully.

The publication of this book is very timely since it appears right before the happening of the first "International Conference on Multiscale Materials Model(l)ing", which has been held in June 2002 at the Queen Mary University of London. But it is the subtitle (Modeling Across Scales), not the title, that conveys you what the book's content is about. In other words, the author engages himself in the (difficult) task of showing you how real materials can be modeled (or thought of) by mean of a multiscale approach bridging the atomistic to the macroscopic structure & behavior. As you can well imagine, this is an outstanding task!

The book is organized in four parts and it contains 13 chapters:

Part I: Thinking about the Material World
1. Idealizing Material Response
2. Continuum Mechanics Revisited
3. Quantum and Statistical Mechanics Revisited

Part II: Energetics of Crystalline Solids
4. Energetic Description of Crystalline Solids
5. Thermal and Elastic Properties of Crystals
6. Structural Energies and Phase Diagrams

Part III: Geometric Structures in Solids: Defects and Microstructures
7. Point Defects in Solids
8. Line Defects in Solids
9. Wall Defects in Solids
10. Microstructure and its Evolution

Part IV: Facing the Multiscale Challenge in Real Material Behavior
11. Points, Lines and Walls: Defect Interactions and Material Response
12. Bridging Scales: Effective Theory Construction
13. Universality and Specificity in Materials

Considering the difficulty of the subject and how it has been presented throughout the book, the clarity of language and the good quality of both graphs and figures, this book deserves five stars.

Very good book, a fine replacement and updating of the book by Tinkham on the same subject. Carefully written, doesn't avoid the "difficult" points, which become not so difficult, after their treatment. The applications cover Rotation Group, Point Groups, Electronic States of Molecules and Crystals, Molecular Vibrations, Time Reversal, Landau's Theory of Phase transitions, the Symmetric Group. Plenty of exercises, answers and hints. I've taught from it. Highly recommended.

I am so sick of physics and math textbooks, since 80% of them are just absolutely pedagogically TERRIBLE. (I won't name any names, but let me just say "standard electrodynamics graduate text"-- now do you know who I'm talking about? Anyway...)

Let me take that back: closer to 90% of physics and math textbooks have major fatal flaws.

Not so this book. It is just about perfect!

It avoids all the major flaws, and succeeds brilliantly where others fail.

First of all, many other physics/math textbooks-- even so-called "introductory" ones-- take too much for granted, and often leave the reader lost or needing to cross-reference another book in order to fully understand. Not so this book. You need little background knowledge other than standard undergrad math to understand this book. That is, the book is self-contained, and provides all necessary information to learn the topic at hand. (+1 Star.)

Second, many physics textbooks read like theoretical math textbooks--many mathematical derivations with little reference to physical systems. Not so this "math" book! The authors take every effort to give concrete and understandable physical examples to explain Group Theory-- and this from a so-called "math" book, too! This increases the level of comfort and understanding immensely. (+1 Star.)

Third, many other physics textbooks give page after page of mathematical derivations, but then no EXAMPLES as to how to use the conclusions of those derivations to solve real problems (cf. "lazy" below.) Not so this book!! The authors here present full and complete mathematical derivations, but then also give full and complete SOLVED examples! On top of this, they then provide homework exercises with useful hints as to how the problems can be solved. (+1 Star.)

Finally, other textbooks often seem lazy--- they skip major steps in derivations with words such as "clearly" and "obviously" and "derivation left to the reader." This makes learning extremely difficult. On top of this, the explanations that ARE presented are often obtuse and extremely difficult to understand. Not so this book! The authors actually take the time to EXPLAIN things-- and what's more, they explain them WELL!!! They explain them step by step. They explain them CLEARLY!!! Wow! What a concept! A textbook that actually explains things clearly and completely! (+2 Stars.)

So, in conclusion, if you have any need to learn Group Theory, this is the absolute best place to start.

(A bonus hint: If you happen to be writing a math or physics textbook, you might also want to take a look at this to see how it's done!! Please? Please?? Pretty please??!!....)

Wonderful! Excellent! Great! Best of the Best! I think this book have to be a model to one who would like to write a text book! Do you believe the Group Theory is hard to learn? Read this book!

The book reflects an extensive experimental experience and a deep fundamental understanding of the properties of fero- and anti- ferroelectric liquid crystals. It is a widespread story about the fascinating and complex properties of these materials, which was written as a result of many years of successful work of the leading researchers in the field. All the chapters strictly follow the role of combining the explanations of the experimentally observed features with the theoretical description of the associated processes. This not only provides a complete overview to the active researchers in the filed, but also gives quite a rare opportunity to the students and newcomers to learn about complex physical phenomena starting from the first principles. The understanding might be further extended by following the numerous carefully collected references listed at the end of the book. It is nowadays hard to find such a systematic and complete text regarding modern material science, therefore do not miss a chance read it.

The book reflects an extensive experimental experience and a deep fundamental understanding of the properties of fero- and anti- ferroelectric liquid crystals. It is a widespread story about the fascinating and complex properties of these materials, which was written as a result of many years of successful work of the leading researchers in the field. All the chapters strictly follow the role of combining the explanations of the experimentally observed features with the theoretical description of the associated processes. This not only provides a complete overview to the active researchers in the filed, but also gives quite a rare opportunity to the students and newcomers to learn about complex physical phenomena starting from the first principles. The understanding might be further extended by following the numerous carefully collected references listed at the end of the book. It is nowadays hard to find such a systematic and complete text regarding modern material science, therefore do not miss a chance read it.

This is the most interesting book in the field of ferroelectric and antiferroelectric liquid crystals, published recently. The book covers the whole field and is full of data which can be useful for researchers as well as for students. Therefore, the book can be very helpfull for research and can also serve as a school book. It can be used as a reference book in this field.

For anybody who is interested in doing serious materials modeling this book belongs on your book shelf. As Materials Scientists, we don't have the luxury to assume materials behavior is isotropic. This book explains how crystal symmetry (or lack thereof) brings about anisotropic material responses to applied stresses, electric fields, composition gradients, etc... I found this book easy to read and helpful when I was studying piezoelectric behavior for an exam.

I found this book easy to read even my background in physics is not so solid. However, it would be best if the author can use one chapter to describe experimentally how the materials are classified into different crystal classes and how the physical properties are characterized.

To all the curious minds of today and the future:

It is a great pleasure to be the first person to write a review for the book by Professor Newnham, whom I know in person.

As a background for those who do not know Prof. Newnham...let me tell you that he is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and the Ben Frankling Medal Laureate in Electrical Engineering, to name a few of his credentials. What is today known as "piezoelectric composites" is his brainchild, which had an immense impact on modern medical ultrasound and sonar technology.

With all that said, off we go to the review...

Cheers,

Dr.E.

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The title of the book is truly a propos to what is covered therein. One cannot help but notice the perfect balance bewteen crystal physics and solid state chemistry throughtout the text. Prof. Newnham's prose is simple and clear, which makes the book very agreeable to read. All scientific explanations that are presented are "right on the money," to coin a phrase.

Older classical texts on crystal physics such as Nye, Banvanghataman, Juretschke, Mason, Voigt, Wooster etc., which are good books to read, do not go beyond providing a phenomenological description of crystal anisotropy using tensors and matrices. On the other hand, classical and widely popular books on crystal chemistry or Solid State Chemistry, such as Jaffe and West, are excessively descriptive and with barely any mathematical treatment of the phenomena of interest.

Prof. Newnham, on the other hand, establishes the necessary mathematical and crystallographic foundation in the first 6 chapters of his book with sufficient clarity and depth. He then proceeds to discuss a wide range of topics in the ensuing 26 chapters in a very systematic fashion.

In addition to the conventional topics in crystal physics, the book also includes chapters on Nonlinear Phenomena (nonlinear dielectric and elastic response, electrostriction, magnetostriction and electromagnetostriction), Ferroic Crystals, Acoustics, and Nonlinear Optics, which are usually not encountered in classical crystal physics or chemistry texts. Most importantly, every physical phenomena described in the book is masterfully linked to its chemical or structural origin, and structure-property relations are effectively conveyed to the reader. The discussion of principles and facts are supported with plenty of experimental data to compare and contrast the effects of structure on properties, which helps the reader to develop a "feel" for what is being discussed. Also, the illustrations are carefully chosen, an fully integrated into the discussion. Furthermore, Prof. Newnham also describes the basics of an array of experimental techniques used to determine various properties of crystals, which complements the discussion very well.

I believe the book is very accessible to even those who have a modest background in physics and chemistry as the subject is treated with a "from the ground up" approach. One merit of the book that should not go unmentioned here is its pedagogical value. And that, indeed, should not be a surprise to the reader since Prof. Newnham is well-known in the scientific community for his zeal to teaching. Hence, the title of this review: "A Classical Textbook from the Master..."

In closing, I am believe that Prof. Newnham's book will most likely become the "Lehrbuch" for the new generation of scientists and enginneers who fancy (or need) to learn applied crystal physics and chemistry. Well...Voldemar Voigt's "Lehrbuch der Kristalphysik" was long overdue for retirement anyway (with all due respect, of course)... :-) I highly recommend it.

PS: Did I mention that the price it right as well?
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If you have any book on amber in your possession, this is the one to have. Amongst amber aficionados, this is considered to be the "Bible". The chapter on differentiating between real amber and the vast number of fakes is vital for those that collect this wonderful gem. If you have the opportunity to get a copy of this book, don't hesitate!

Patty C. Rice brings a passionate love for her subject to this wonderful book. She offers a very comprehensive study of this beloved gemstone, from a detailed account of its long history, to the folklore surrounding it, to a thorough study of its scientific properties.She explores the many sources of amber worldwide, and gives an exhaustive study of the amazing variety of amber. Most helpful to a collector, she explains in detail how genuine amber differs from its imitations, and how you can perform simple tests to determine if yours is authentic.The mechanics of working with amber as a lapidary or jewelry- maker are also discussed. I loved the wealth of gorgeous photos, many of them from Dr. Rice's own impressive personal collection from all over the world. Her book does full justice to the beauty and enduring fascination of amber, and if you love it as much as I do, her book is a must-have.

This is one of the best books you can read. The auther is fantastic and loads it full of information i could not find anywhere else[i.e.,the stones hardness on the mohs scale.that is hard to find on all crystals}If you have a fasination with crystals, it is a definite read.

Although this book isn't quite as interesting as Crystal Love Secrets, which is unfortunately out of stock, it is still an excellent resource for anyone interested in crystals and practical applications towards everyday life. Overall, a complete and accurate guide - excellent for beginners.