In this two-volume text and reference, Hustrulid (Colorado School of Mines) presents articles describing the principles involved in hard rock blasting as applied to surface excavations in general and open pit mines in particular. Volume I (General Design Concepts) introduces the basic engineering concepts and building blocks that make up a blast design. Volume II (Theoretical Foundations) provides additional depth and breadth for better understanding of some of the fundamental concepts so that engineers can improve not only their blast operations, but also their ability to understand the content and potential application of blasting papers appearing in the technical literature. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)