Guinebretière (X-ray diffraction, Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Céramiques Industrielles, Limoges, France) provides graduate students, engineers, and active researchers with a physical approach to the diffraction phenomenon and its applications in materials science. Following an historical overview of the discovery of X-rays and the first studies in X-ray diffraction, the author focuses on the description of the basic theoretical concepts, the instrumentation and the presentation of traditional methods for data processing and the interpretation of the results, and the quantitative study of the microstructure by X-ray diffraction. The text contains a large number of figures and results taken from international literature, and presents the most recent developments in the views discussed. It contains an extensive bibliography of some 400 references for individuals interested in further reading. Distributed in the U.S. by the Independent Publishers Group. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)