The Solid State

Book excerpt: Updated translation from the French of a work first published in 1987, and intended as a sequel to the principal author's The structure of matter: from the blue sky to liquid crystals (1984). Intended to engage the interest of undergraduates and general readers, the book treats (in five chapters) the thermal, electrical, magnetic and mechanical properties of solids, and (in the final chapter) diffusion. Cleanly written and nicely illustrated descriptive text, with all mathematical material confined to boxes that some readers might want to omit in their entirety. (NW) Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR