Spectroscopic Tricks was introduced in 1959 as a special section in the journal Applied Spectroscopy. Its purpose was to provide a means for communicating information on new devices, modifica- tions of existing apparatuses, and other items of this nature of interest to the working spectroscopist. That it has proved valuable is indicated by the continuing publication of this section now under the title of Spectroscopic Techniques. However, the use- fulness of these contributions, scattered through the many issues of the journal, diminishes as time passes since the reader must consult the...

This is the third volume of the collection of new devices, modifications of existing equipment, and other items of interest of this nature published in the journal Applied Spectroscopy. These tricks have proved of value since they first appeared in the journal in 1959. They give solutions to many problems of workers in the var- ious fields of spectroscopy. For the novice, the use of ali three vol- umes may provide insight into the improvements that have been made in the instruments and techniques that he is currently using. The novice may be saved the necessity of discovering some shortcut...

The initial impetus for this text occurred when we were searching for a single book that could be recommended to the attendees at the Mossbauer Spectroscopy Institute at The Catholic University of America. This Institute is an introductory course on the theory and interpretation of Mossbauer spectroscopy for workers in industrial, academic, and government labora- tories. None of the books available adequately covered the breadth and scope of the lectures in the Institute. A list of these books and review articles is included in Appendix C. To meet our needs, we undertook the creation of this...