Amazon.com description: Product Description: Finally, a serious knowledgeable book explaining the world of materials & their technologies without requiring formal mathematics or previous background in the subject. The book has a broad-based appeal to anyone who has an interest in working with metals, ceramics & polymers. The author, a material scientist, is internationally known in the area of materials processing. Scientific properties & principles are clearly explained while the "how-to" shape materials are illustrated, step-by-step. This book would be of special interest to: LIBRARIES as an excellent scientifically-grounded reference book that introduces the reader to materials, their properties & shaping techniques, while tracing the historical development of materials from early to modern times. ARCHAEOLOGISTS, ANTHROPOLOGISTS & HISTORIANS as a guide to the history of materials & their related technologies that have impacted cultures from ancient time to the present. Chinese bronzes, glassmaking & the secrets of Damascus steel are examined. SCULPTORS, JEWELRY MAKERS & MATERIAL PROCESSORS as a definitive guide to the understanding & shaping of materials. The reader will learn how to identify problems in shaping materials & how to correct them. Techniques from casting, welding, soldering to electroforming, integrated circuits & vapor deposition are discussed.