This work offers easily understandable explanations about the ways that the symmetry and structure of crystals influence crystal properties, thereby enabling the selective use of artificially grown crystals in industry. Crystallography research is presented in its full scope, including semiconductor materials, quasicrystals, and protein crystals.

Wolfgang Neumann, Humboldt-Universität Berlin; Klaus-Werner Benz, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg.