Hosford (material science and engineering, U. of Michigan) provides a textbook on the practical and theoretical aspects of physical metallurgy, with discussion of solidification, diffusion, surfaces, solid solutions, intermediate phases, dislocations, annealing, and phase transformations, as well as specific nonferrous alloy systems and their metallurgical properties and applications, the treatment of steels, hardening, tempering and surface treatment, special steels, low carbon sheet steel, and cast irons. He also covers powder metallurgy, corrosion, welding, and magnetic alloys. This edition has a new chapter on crystallographic textures and their influence, more on aluminum-lithium alloys and cemented carbide tools, new information on copper and nickel, rewritten chapters on other non-ferrous metals and low carbon steels, new discussions of compact graphite and austempered ductile iron, and an updated table on metal prices. The book assumes students have had an introductory course in materials science and understand the basic concepts of crystal structures, Miller indices, dislocations, binary phase diagrams, and Fick's first and second laws of diffusion. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)