Book excerpt: Ten years ago, D.M. Rowe introduced the bestselling CRC Handbook of Thermoelectrics to wide acclaim. Since then, increasing environmental concerns, desire for long-life electrical power sources, and continued progress in miniaturization of electronics has led to a substantial increase in research activity involving thermoelectrics. Reflecting the latest trends and developments, the Thermoelectrics Handbook: Macro to Nano is an extension of the earlier work and covers the entire range of thermoelectrics disciplines. Serving as a convenient reference as well as a thorough introduction to thermoelectrics, this book includes contributions from 99 leading authorities from around the world. Its coverage spans from general principles and theoretical concepts to material preparation and measurements; thermoelectric materials; thermoelements, modules, and devices; and thermoelectric systems and applications. Reflecting the enormous impact of nanotechnology on the field-as the thermoelectric properties of nanostructured materials far surpass the performance of conventional materials-each section progresses systematically from macro-scale to micro/nano-scale topics. In addition, the book contains an appendix listing major manufacturers and suppliers of thermoelectric modules. There is no longer any need to spend hours plodding through the journal literature for information. The Thermoelectrics Handbook: Macro to Nano offers a timely, comprehensive treatment of all areas of thermoelectrics in a single, unified reference.