John Wiley & Sons, Inc. is proud to announce an important new series of textbooks -- The Mit Series in Materials Science and Engineering. In response to the growing economic and technological importance of polymers, ceramics, and semi-conductors, many materials science and engineering departments are changing and expanding their curricula. The advent of new courses calls for the development of new textbooks that teach the principles of materials science and engineering as they apply to all the classes of materials. The Mit Series in Materials Science and Engineering is designed to fill the needs of this changing curriculum. Based on the undergraduate curriculum of the MIT Department of Materials Science and Engineering, the series will include textbooks for the core course in the field as well as text for courses in specific material classes. The first three textbooks in the series will be: Thermodynamics of Materials, Vol. I, by David Ragone (0-471-30885-4) Thermodynamics of Materials, Vol. II, by David Ragone (0-471-30886-2) Physical Ceramics: Principles for Ceramics Science and Engineering, by Yet-Ming Chiang, Dunbar Birnie III, and W. David Kingery(0-471-59873-9)

Thermodynamics of Materials, Volumes I & II goes beyond traditional texts to illustrate the applicability of thermodynamics to the specific classes of materials that are part of a curriculum in materials science and engineering. The text is written from both science and engineering perspectives so that students will be able to understand and apply the knowledge generated by scientists and communicate with and serve the needs of all engineers. In addition to a presentation based on classical thermodynamics, the text:

• Takes an Open System approach to the First and Second Laws.
• Includes a chapter on Statistical Thermodynamics that provides the background for understanding kinetic mechanisms and the behavior of polymers.
• Treats physical as well as chemical equilibrium to assist student understanding of phase transitions.
• Provides good problem sets that are thoroughly class-tested.
• Discusses surfaces and interfaces--an important area as electronic materials get smaller.