Rust has been called "the great destroyer," the "pervasive menace," and "the evil." "This look at corrosion--its causes, its consequences, and especially the people devoted to combating it--is wide-ranging and consistently engrossing" (The New York Times).

It is the hidden enemy, the one that challenges the very basis of civilization. This entropic menace destroys cars, fells bridges, sinks ships, sparks house fires, and nearly brought down the Statue of Liberty's...