Introducing principles and applications of statistical mechanics and thermodynamics, Sturge (Dartmouth College) covers concepts including temperature, heat, entropy, free energy, chemical potential, and distributions. The concepts are later applied to a wide variety of problems, including perfect gasses, electrons in metals, and heat engines. The book should be accessible to physics students who understand what is meant by a quantum state" the use of partial derivatives, and who have familiarity with series expansion in a small parameter. An appendix gives a brief review of what students need to know on these topics. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)