Now in its second edition, this continues to serve as an ideal textbook for introductory courses on materials characterization, based on the author's experience in teaching advanced undergraduate and postgraduate university students. The new edition retains the successful didactical concept of introductions at the beginning of chapters, exercise questions and an online solution manual.In addition, all the sections have been thoroughly revised, updated and expanded, with two major new topics (electron backscattering diffraction and environmental scanning electron microscopy), as well as fifty additional questions - in total about 20% new content. The first part covers commonly used methods for microstructure analysis, including light microscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission and scanning electron microscopy, as well as scanning probe microscopy.The second part of the book is concerned with techniques for chemical analysis and introduces X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy, fluorescen