Set theory and its applications in physics and computing

For instance, the lattice is only a mathematical device, not to be confused with the real crystal structure. Or, further on, the restrictions on the lattice parameters are a consequence of symmetry, while the opposite is not necessarily true. Or, yet again, trigonal refers to a crystal system, not to a lattice system, etc. Overall the book is authoritative, but not pedantic. The typical error made by scholars is to forget how to address the undergraduate student. This instead is a thoroughly didactic book, written with the student’s need in mind, yet containing the know-how and the experience of someone working for long time in the field. In addition, this is a richly illustrated work, with a detailed series of appendices, useful also to the practising researcher and to those needing a systematic overview. To conclude, the author’s passion for crystallography shines throughout the book and evenmore so when reading that “the International Tables for Crystallography, vol. A is one of the most outstanding books produced in the 20th21st centuries”! Such enthusiasm for the subject is highly contagious and it should make this brief journey into reciprocal space a pleasant and rewarding experience also for the reader.