To commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of the founding of
Surface Science
and to honour Harry Gatos, founder and editor of the journal for twenty-eight years, this book has been compiled.
It consists a collection of short (less than ten pages) articles describing the historical development in the years 1964-92 of selected topics in surface science providing an overview of the field, and indicating its future direction. Approximately eighty prominent surface scientists have contributed historical and technical reviews covering a wide range of topics. Many contributions are personal accounts of the evolution of the work in the laboratories/industries where the authors have worked.