Book excerpt: This monograph is an attempt to present in a concise manner those aspects of the electrolytic growth of crystals considered to be of basic mechanistic significance. The accent has been put consistently on the understanding of the physical models of the processes discussed. Out of the extensive amount of information in this field, the authors have tried to abstract those systems which can be considered central, and which can, therefore, be related to the basic concepts connected with the electrodeposition of metals. In particular, stress has been laid upon consideration of atomic movements -of ions and molecules in solution, of adsorbed substances on the surface of metals, of steps on a growing crystal. Although the main stress is upon the physical picture, a number of derivations have been presented in detail. It is assumed that the reader is familiar to some degree with the concepts of electrodics; in particular, frequent reference is made to models of the electrical double layer at the metal solution interface and the transfer of charged species across it.