' ... useful as a textbook for advanced students, valuable reference work for all research workers ... ' Physikalische Berichte 'This second edition of a (now) classic text is as welcome as the first edition was novel ... the quality of Burns' work shines through all 550 or so pages ... an excellent read ... For geochemists the book will be required reading: it will appeal also to many inorganic chemists. For the many physicists it will be an excellent and well-thumbed reference book.' Contemporary Physics 'Specialists will appreciate the concise and precise presentation of the data, and the exhaustive bibliography.' European Journal of Minerals