"Optical Properties of 3d-Ions in Crystals: Spectroscopy and Crystal Field Analysis" discusses spectral, vibronic and magnetic properties of 3d-ions in a wide range of crystals, used as active media for solid state lasers and potential candidates for this role. Crystal field calculations (including first-principles calculations of energy levels and absorption spectra) and their comparison with experimental spectra, the Jahn-Teller effect, analysis of vibronic spectra, materials science applications are systematically presented. The book is intended for researchers and graduate students in crystal spectroscopy, materials science and optical applications. Dr. N.M. Avram is an Emeritus Professor at the Physics Department, West University of Timisoara, Romania; Dr. M.G. Brik is a Professor at the Institute of Physics, University of Tartu, Estonia.

``Optical Properties of Mixed Crystals'' is concerned with the description of optical processes in substitutionally disordered semiconductors and insulators which can be basically described through their elementary excitations. Two of the chapters relate to the phonon response including the effect of side bands on electron transitions. Two relate to electronic spectra, one on photoelectron spectroscopy and the other on excitons. A further chapter deals with magnons in magnetic crystals and a final chapter is related to fluctuations and band edge effects.Each chapter deals with a specific class of excitation, but the book makes it clear that the fundamental structure of the excitation spectra, including band formation, band tailing and localisation is common to every type of excitation. The volume shows how some basic concepts and ideas can be widely applied to bring coherence and understanding to a diverse area of solid state physics. It therefore provides an up-to-date summary of the experimental and theoretical situation in an important and rapidly developing field and brings together for the first time a discussion of the many different types of spectra which appear in mixed crystals.