Hundreds of maps, diagrams, illustrations, and color photographs document our universe.

This Concise Encyclopedia draws its material from the award-winning Encyclopedia of Materials: Science and Technology, and includes updates and revisions not available in the original set. This customized collection of articles provides a handy reference for materials scientists and engineers with an interest in the structure of metals, polymers, ceramics and glasses, biomaterials, wood, paper, and liquid crystals.Materials science and engineering is concerned with the relationship between the properties and structure of materials. In this context "structure" may be defined on the atomic scale in the case of crystalline materials, on the molecular scale (in the case of polymers, for example), or on the microscopic scale. Each of these definitions has been applied in making the present selection of articles.* Brings together articles from the Encyclopedia of Materials: Science & Technology that focus on the structure of materials at the atomic, molecular and microscopic levels, plus recent updates* Every article has been commissioned and written by an internationally recognized expert and provides a concise overview of a particular aspect of the field * Extensive bibliographies, cross-referencing and indexes guide the user to the most relevant reading in the primary literature

Presents a range of topics that illustrate the state of modern astronomy, and includes practical advice ranging from how to use binoculars to advanced imaging techniques.

Advanced ceramics cover a wide range of materials which are ceramic by nature but have been developed in response to specific requirements. This encyclopedia collects together 137 articles in order to provide an up-to-date account of the advanced ceramic field. Some articles are drawn from the acclaimed Encyclopedia of Materials Science and Engineering, often revised, and others have been newly commissioned. The Concise Encyclopedia of Advanced Ceramic Materials aims to provide a comprehensive selection of accessible articles which act as an authoritative guide to the subject. The format is designed to help the readers form opinions on a particular subject. Arranged alphabetically, with a broad subject range, the articles are diverse in character and style, thereby stimulating further discussion. Topics covered include survey articles on glass, hot pressing, insulators, powders, and many are concerned with specific chemical systems and their origins, processing and applications. The Concise Encyclopedia of Advanced Ceramic Materials will be invaluable to materials scientists, researchers, educators and industrialists working in technical ceramics.

Concise Encyclopedia of Languages of the World is an authoritative single-volume reference resource comprehensively describing the major languages and language families of the world. It will provide full descriptions of the phonology, semantics, morphology, and syntax of the world's major languages, giving insights into their structure, history and development, sounds, meaning, structure, and language family, thereby both highlighting their diversity for comparative study, and contextualizing them according to their genetic relationships and regional distribution.Based on the highly acclaimed and award-winning Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics, this volume will provide an edited collection of almost 400 articles throughout which a representative subset of the world's major languages are unfolded and explained in up-to-date terminology and authoritative interpretation, by the leading scholars in linguistics. In highlighting the diversity of the world's languages — from the thriving to the endangered and extinct — this work will be the first point of call to any language expert interested in this huge area. No other single volume will match the extent of language coverage or the authority of the contributors of Concise Encyclopedia of Languages of the World. - Extraordinary breadth of coverage: a comprehensive selection of just under 400 articles covering the world's major languages, language families, and classification structures, issues and dispute - Peerless quality: based on 20 years of academic development on two editions of the leading reference resource in linguistics, Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics - Unique authorship: 350 of the world's leading experts brought together for one purpose - Exceptional editorial selection, review and validation process: Keith Brown and Sarah Ogilvie act as first-tier guarantors for article quality and coverage - Compact and affordable: one-volume format makes this suitable for personal study at any institution interested in areal, descriptive, or comparative language study - and at a fraction of the cost of the full encyclopedia