Materials Handbook: An Encyclopedia for Managers, Technical Professionals, Purchasing and Production Managers, Technicians, Supervisors

The "Materials Handbook" (15th Ed.) is now one of my favorite reference books. The variety of materials that it documents is pretty amazing. This is a great book for the scientist, engineer & layperson alike. A reader can quickly find the basic description & properties for alloys, elements, non-metallic substances, plastics, wood, liquids, etc., etc. If you can name it, it's probably in this book. There's one caveat; even at 1244 pages, it cannot contain every useful fact pertaining to a particular substance. Given that practical limitation, I suspect that many of us could learn exactly what we wanted to know about a substance and others can search other references that focus exclusively on specific materials in whatever category. Again, it's a very valuable reference and it is a great addition to any technical library.

I have not read the most edition, but I have read an older one. I actually read it cover to cover. I find it fascinating to learn the history of various alloys and composites. Pretty much anything you want to know about any material is here. For anyone who has any interest in science, building, woodworking, sculpture, etc. this book will be extremely useful.

This book is most helpful to those who have to find information about materials outside their area of expertise. The listing is extremely broad, and unlike other books, does not just focus on engineered or structural materials. The negative side of this breadth is the small amount of information on each material (sometimes only one or two paragraphs). This small amount of information, however, is usually enough to direct a search into a more productive direction. I have benefitted from this book on the last 4 jobs I have held. Definitely worth having.