ASM Online Member Community

What's one book, article, webinar, podcast, tool, or resource you've found especially valuable lately?

Whether it helped you solve a challenging problem, sparked a new idea, improved your workflow, or simply gave you a fresh perspective, we'd love to hear about it.

Share:

• The resource
• What you learned or gained from it
• Why you'd recommend it to others

Let's build a community reading and learning list together; your recommendation might be exactly what someone else needs right now!

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Nicole Hale
Director, Membership & Affiliates
ASM International
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I would personally recommend the many volumes of the ASM Metals Handbooks. As a metallurgical technician, the polishing procedures and fractography from volume 9 and volume 11 respectively are essential to my career.

Matt Munkwitz

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Matt Munkwitz
Hartford WI
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Original Message:
Sent: 6/9/2026 9:59:00 PM
From: Matt Munkwitz
Subject: RE: Resource Roundup! What's a book, article, webinar, or tool you've found especially useful recently?

I would personally recommend the many volumes of the ASM Metals Handbooks. As a metallurgical technician, the polishing procedures and fractography from volume 9 and volume 11 respectively are essential to my career.

Matt Munkwitz

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Matt Munkwitz
Hartford WI
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Now that I'm a fully retired scientist, I read many books on diverse topics, attend webinars and listen to podcasts, often dealing with non-materials science-related topics. A recent podcast by well-known neuroscientist and author Dr. Julia Mossbridge was quite interesting to me for several reasons; neuroscience is a topic of global importance and also because Dr. Mossbridge spoke about several topics that I've personally experienced. For example, I've seen ball lightning (a very real phenomenon), I've experienced remote viewing, as well as deja vu, subconscious solvation, and others that are related to neuroscience. I recommend any of Dr. Mossbridge's published works and podcasts, because she offers a perspective about the human brain/mind that resonated with me and may have a similar effect on other ASM members.

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Ronald Myers
Retired
Strongsville OH
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Voort's Metallography Principles and Practice from ASM is a staple in our metallurgical laboratory because it showcases the seemingly endless etching possibilities for each material. 

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Nicole Grillo
Oerlikon Metco

Westbury, NY
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Nicole Grillo
Metallographer
Oerlikon
Westbury NY
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Jim Quinn
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook NY
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A wonderful, but lesser-known book for any practicing physical metallurgist would be "Mechanical Metallurgy" by George E. Dieter. I have the hard copy third edition published by McGraw Hill and refer to it frequently. The author struck a nearly perfect balance of explaining concepts in a way that is easy to understand while also providing the necessary theoretical calculations, without being too simplistic or too academic. Makes a great companion to Reed Hill text and goes more into the different applied mechanical process: rolling, drawing, etc.

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Otho Otte
Senior Metallurgical Engineer
Chart Energy and Chemical
La Crosse WI
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Otho's post about Mechanical Metallurgy by George E. Dieter is a great addition. Dr. Dieter addressed some of the same topics in ASM Handbook, Volume 20, Materials Selection and Design, for which he served as Volume Editor. 

Here's a link to a list of ASM Handbook articles contributed by George Dieter.

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Scott Henry
Director of Content and Publishing
ASM International
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Original Message:
Sent: 06-16-2026 14:40
From: Otho Otte
Subject: Resource Roundup! What's a book, article, webinar, or tool you've found especially useful recently?

A wonderful, but lesser-known book for any practicing physical metallurgist would be "Mechanical Metallurgy" by George E. Dieter. I have the hard copy third edition published by McGraw Hill and refer to it frequently. The author struck a nearly perfect balance of explaining concepts in a way that is easy to understand while also providing the necessary theoretical calculations, without being too simplistic or too academic. Makes a great companion to Reed Hill text and goes more into the different applied mechanical process: rolling, drawing, etc.

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Otho Otte
Senior Metallurgical Engineer
Chart Energy and Chemical
La Crosse WI
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This handbook "Mechanical Metallurgy" by G.E. Dieter, 1988, SI Metric Edition was one of my first books obtained when I have started my PhD. Respectful and diachronic reference book! It is always on the top of the books that I search for fundamental topics and for subjects for guidance to my junior colleagues and myself too.

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Dr. George Pantazopoulos
Technology and Quality Manager
ELKEME - Hellenic Research Centre for Metals S.A.
Oinofyta Viotias
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Original Message:
Sent: 06-17-2026 11:26
From: Scott Henry
Subject: Resource Roundup! What's a book, article, webinar, or tool you've found especially useful recently?

Otho's post about Mechanical Metallurgy by George E. Dieter is a great addition. Dr. Dieter addressed some of the same topics in ASM Handbook, Volume 20, Materials Selection and Design, for which he served as Volume Editor. 

Here's a link to a list of ASM Handbook articles contributed by George Dieter.

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Scott Henry
Director of Content and Publishing
ASM International
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 06-16-2026 14:40
From: Otho Otte
Subject: Resource Roundup! What's a book, article, webinar, or tool you've found especially useful recently?

A wonderful, but lesser-known book for any practicing physical metallurgist would be "Mechanical Metallurgy" by George E. Dieter. I have the hard copy third edition published by McGraw Hill and refer to it frequently. The author struck a nearly perfect balance of explaining concepts in a way that is easy to understand while also providing the necessary theoretical calculations, without being too simplistic or too academic. Makes a great companion to Reed Hill text and goes more into the different applied mechanical process: rolling, drawing, etc.

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Otho Otte
Senior Metallurgical Engineer
Chart Energy and Chemical
La Crosse WI
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I am in agreement that Mechanical Metallurgy by Dieter and Physical Metallurgy Principles by Reed-Hill are good choices for your library.  I would also add Steels: Processing, Structure and Performance by Krauss and Optical Microscopy of Carbon Steels by Samuels.  

Following Scott's lead, I recommend any of the ASM Handbooks depending on your specific need.    I am lucky enough to have collected them all over my 45 year career.  

:-)

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Daniel Dennies
Principal and CEO
DMS Inc
Foothill Ranch CA
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Original Message:
Sent: 06-17-2026 11:26
From: Scott Henry
Subject: Resource Roundup! What's a book, article, webinar, or tool you've found especially useful recently?

Otho's post about Mechanical Metallurgy by George E. Dieter is a great addition. Dr. Dieter addressed some of the same topics in ASM Handbook, Volume 20, Materials Selection and Design, for which he served as Volume Editor. 

Here's a link to a list of ASM Handbook articles contributed by George Dieter.

------------------------------
Scott Henry
Director of Content and Publishing
ASM International
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 06-16-2026 14:40
From: Otho Otte
Subject: Resource Roundup! What's a book, article, webinar, or tool you've found especially useful recently?

A wonderful, but lesser-known book for any practicing physical metallurgist would be "Mechanical Metallurgy" by George E. Dieter. I have the hard copy third edition published by McGraw Hill and refer to it frequently. The author struck a nearly perfect balance of explaining concepts in a way that is easy to understand while also providing the necessary theoretical calculations, without being too simplistic or too academic. Makes a great companion to Reed Hill text and goes more into the different applied mechanical process: rolling, drawing, etc.

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Otho Otte
Senior Metallurgical Engineer
Chart Energy and Chemical
La Crosse WI
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I agree with both the Dieter and Reed-Hill books. I'd add a third --
Dictionary of Metals by Harold M. Cobb.

--
John Grubb


Original Message:
Sent: 6/17/2026 11:27:00 AM
From: Scott Henry
Subject: RE: Resource Roundup! What's a book, article, webinar, or tool you've found especially useful recently?

Otho's post about Mechanical Metallurgy by George E. Dieter is a great addition. Dr. Dieter addressed some of the same topics in ASM Handbook, Volume 20, Materials Selection and Design, for which he served as Volume Editor. 

Here's a link to a list of ASM Handbook articles contributed by George Dieter.

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Scott Henry
Director of Content and Publishing
ASM International
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