The last section discusses the application of various materials for use in several different parts. In the edition I have, they are automobile valve springs, an artificial femoral component, and space shuttle tiles, as well as the strength-weight optimisation of various beams. It goes into each aspect of the design, for example how many stress cycles the valve will undergo in the typical lifetime, and give a specific failure rate. Quite interesting.

There are also sections on thermal properties, electrical properties, atomic lattices, and more... I can't remember, it's been a while since I last looked through it properly. In summary, this book is packed with sufficient information to give you general knowledge of each field covered and get you interested, without going overboard -something that most university textbooks tend to do.

15 of 15 found the following review helpful:


An excellent sophomore text  May 31, 2000 By Gregory P. Casavant
I purchased this book for a course in materials science. The course was structured as an independent study. I was responsible for studying the materials and I would take quizzes through e-mail. This book was my primary source of instruction for the course. Where the book could not support me in the quizzes, it was necessary to seek information elsewhere. My judgement of this book, therefore, is based on its thoroughness, mathematical rigorousness and its ability to explain concepts. Most of the topics covered in the course were well presented by the book. In particular, chapter 3, on the Structure of Crystalline Solids, was very well done. In general the writing style is good. The use of many figures and diagrams enhanced the explanations of physical phenomenon. I highly recommend it for an intuitive viewpoint into material science. Where the book falls down is in the realm of calculation. There are too few formula given. Where they are given, there are too few examples on their use. Chapter 6 on the Mechanical Properties of Metals, and chapter 9 on Phase Diagrams, are sections that failed in this regard. However, the books lack of over-reliance on formula and mathematics is a great enhancement for those just beginning an exploration of the science or a career in engineering. Too many numbers on a page would be a discouragement to those wishing to enjoy the material. Therefore, I would recommend this book as a sophomore level introduction to Material Science, for which, in fact, it has been written.

23 of 27 found the following review helpful:


Okay, not great  Mar 18, 2003 By Elim Garak
Materials by Callister is a detailed, yet verbose book. I used it as a textbook for a 1st year Materials course at university, and while the book contains a lot of detail, most of it is contained within great slabs of written language, often without the aid of diagrams.

This may be fine for senior undergraduate or postgraduate students, but for beginner students it simply isn't the way to teach a subject. My suggestions for future editions would be to tone down the language to a more basic level, and to include more diagrams to aid the student in conceptualisation.

8 of 8 found the following review helpful:


Should not be part of the course work for someone persuing a materials science degree  Aug 26, 2010 By George F
Don't waste your money. William D. Callister has rewritten this book into many editions, some of which occur under different titles. The price for this book also seems to be increasing disproportionately with the addition of valuable information (the book is just overpriced). I would recommend this book to anyone perusing a degree other then materials science. The book does provide a good amount of breadth and is a good reference if this is the only materials science course work that you will ever do. If you are a materials scientist then taking a class with this book as the primary text will only result in redundancy. The book is an overview of processing and properties that doesn't provide enough background theory and explanation to develop an understanding of materials science. I used this book in my sophomore year in my very first materials science class and it is my understanding that most other materials science programs use this book in the same fashion. The catch of the book is that until you have studied thermodynamics, crystallography, and mechanical properties in your later years of study this book only forces you to memorize rules, properties, and theories without understanding why or how such things exist. The book couldn't even be called a top down approach to materials science because it doesn't go down at all. All of the information in this book will be reiterated in later course work using other texts that will actually help you to understand in a more complete way the concepts of materials science.

7 of 7 found the following review helpful:


an introduction  Jan 10, 2005 By Frank
The depth, clarity with which he surveys materials science concepts will make this text indispensable for both studying and practicing engineers for years to come. Without a doubt, this is one of the most well written textbooks I have ever had the pleasure of reading.All the figures are well drawn, the green fonts here and there seem quiet. All the tough theories, concepts just jump out of the line and hit my forehead.

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