An ideal text for students as well as practitioners, this is a comprehensive introduction to the field of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray microanalysis. The text has been used in educating over 3,000 students at the Lehigh SEM short course as well as thousands of undergraduate and graduate students at universities across the globe. The authors emphasize the practical aspects of the techniques described. Topics discussed include user-controlled functions of scanning electron microscopes and x-ray spectrometers and the use of x-rays for qualitative and quantitative analysis. Separate chapters cover SEM sample preparation methods for hard materials, polymers, and biological specimens.