This book is a dearly needed addition to the collection of textbooks in condensed matter physics. It encourages the study of solid state physics through problem solving, which is, as the authors correctly point out, perhaps the most important part of the learning process.

Here are a few aspects of the book I particularly like:

• The introduction of the subjects is short, precise and enlightening. The basic ideas are presented in an elementary but not oversimlified way.
• Many of the examples are based upon up to date research and on properties of materials currently in the focus of attention.
• In addition to the classic areas of solid state physics, the fundamentals of modern fields, like the Quantum Hall Effect, the Anderson model of the impurities, or the nesting in low dimensional materials.
• The figures are made with the effective use of the computer. This leads to an increased range of accessible problems and solutions.

Gergely T. Zimanyi, UC Davis

One rarely comes across a book, about which one can say without any qualifying adjective, that it is simply great. The book of Mihaly and Martin however does belong in this rarefied category.

As anyone teaching solid state physics knows from experience, it is always demanding to find quality examples to go with the lectures. The problems in the previous standard books are unfortunately dated, often decades back. In contrast, Mihaly and Martin bring examples from the area of fullerenes; high T_c materials; infinite dimensional Hubbard models, strong coupling theories: the very latest developments in solid state physics. At the same time they find room for covering the actual workings of such must-know experimental apparatii, as the triple axis spectrometer and the Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. It is to find books, which adress the theoretical and experimental sides of our discipline with such balance.

When the authors cover more conventional topics, like symmetries and band structures, they make them exciting for the student by chosing fascinating applications, for instance lattices of fullerenes instead of sodium. When they cover modern areas, they devote space extensively, very much unlike similar treatises. These include optical properties, correlation effects in infinite and low dimensional models, and phase transitions in electronic systems.

The best recommendation goes beyond words; it is reflected in actions: I already adopted the book in my course, and the students cannot get enough of these inventive problems. They actually like solving the homework problems, a true satisfaction for any teacher.

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