Book excerpt: This new title is published in three highly illustrated volumes and covers the latest developments in the subject. It provides a unique combination of the science of coatings and surfaces, the technologies of deposition, surface modification and analysis, and practical applications. The three volumes provide a useful and comprehensive blend of reviews and state-of-the-art papers written by international experts, and reflect the current status of and likely future advances in surface engineering. The first volume, Fundamentals of Coatings, considers principles of coating/substrate design affecting high temperature and aqueous corrosion, and wear properties, scanning the coatings spectrum from organic through metallic to ceramic. The emphasis in this volume is on the science and design of coatings and substrate systems rather than on technology.