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metal oxides), and non-linear phenomena occurring at surfaces. A full chapter is devoted to statistical surface thermodynamics, and the volume ends with a review of the present advances in scanning probe manipulation of adsorbates on conductive surfaces. The overall presentation is very clear, and the reader is efficiently guided through the vast amount of material presented, making the 1500 pages composing the two volumes relatively easy to follow and digest. I found particularly interesting and well-presented the discussion of gas adsorption on semiconducting and metal oxide surfaces, where the authors make an extremely good job at reviewing such complex systems and the chemical processes occurring at their interfaces. The last chapter, describing the manipulation of atoms and molecule with a scanning tunnelling microscope, is the only one that, in my opinion, would benefit from a more thorough discussion on the chemistry and the chemical reactions happening at the surface. A few paragraphs on the recent advances in tip-assisted chemistry and electrochemistry in the scanning probe environment would have greatly expanded the focus of the chapter, ensuring a more comprehensive discussion. These volumes are clearly not designed as an introduction to the field, and a degree of knowledge of surface science is needed to follow the discussion. To the experienced scientist they represent a useful collection of important concepts supported by a vast bibliography, and I am sure that I will find myself consulting these books more than a few times over the next few years. Bibliography Surface and Interface Science.