This book is one of the few books that doesn't assume prior knowledge but it doesn't dumb down the subject either. It really does what other science texts claim to do - it is useful for the beginner and the expert.
Nothing is more frustrating than wading through information you already know; except reading a book that assumes you have everything in place in the way of training and expereince to understand what they are talking about. My questions always seem need more or less than what most books offer. This book is spot on.
The first half is about the theory and practical guidelines for collecting x-ray diffraction data on powders. The last half carefully develops the understanding needed to refine the data with the Rietveld method.
This book is a highly useful reference to me. I am a researcher who had a few years of experience using Rietveld in graduate school. Back then (7 years ago)I had very good help from my advisor, procedures to follow and relativly simple problems to tackle. Recently, I had the opportunity to bring quantitative phase analsis to my current work place. This was terribly difficult as first - this book was highly recommended to me and I have found it very valuable.