Gutzmer (South Africa) -

The most authoritative book there is for novice and specialist chemists and material scientists in the field of cement chemistry. H.F.W. Taylor, the pope in the field of (applied) cement crystallography, writes clearly and concisely on a topic he has seen develop over the last half century. He demonstrates with great clarity--through the "looking glass" that crystallography provides--how the complex subject of cement chemistry can be understood: how silicate and aluminate cement phases are produced, how they behave hydraulically and the ensuing structure and properties of the hardened materials. This book also boasts a comprehensive bibliography of references, which have been skillfully screened to crystallise the most important literature contributions from the abounding amount that has been produced in this field up to 1996--A needles in the haystack task, very well accomplished. This book is the most comprehensive literature review on the subject!