The subject of fractography was first addressed in a Metals Handbook volume in 1974. Volume 9 of the 8th Edition, Fractography and Atlas of Fractographs, provided systematic and comprehensive treatment of what was at that time a relatively new body of knowledge derived from examination and interpretation of features observed on the fracture surfaces of metals. The 8th Edition volume also documented the resurgence of engineering and scientific interest in fracture studies, which was due largely to the development and widespread use of the transmission electron microscope and the scanning electron microscope during the 1960s and early '70s.
