Professional crystallographers, chemists, physicists, mineralogists, biologists and material scientists often deal with atoms packed in a periodic arrangement in crystalline materials. Highly significant simplifications are obtained if the atomic positions are described in the connection of symmetries in 2-D and/or 3-D space. The International Tables for Crystallography volume A provides an extensive tabulations and illustrations of the 17 plane groups, the 230 space groups and the 32 crystallographic point groups. The book incorporates compromise obtained from the Union's Executive Committee in 1977 regarding controversy evolved over the treatment of the monoclinic space groups
. Starting from the fifth edition, the production was completely computer based to allow for easier corrections and modifications in the future, as well as the possibility of an electronic version of the volume. The fifth edition of Volume A was reviewed by P. Paufler .
More summaries about the International Tables for Crystallography, Vol. a: Space Group Symmetry