Scientists from various disciplines, including diamond synthesis, mechanics and materials science, come together in this volume to assess the current understanding of the mechanical behavior of diamond and other forms of carbon. Mechanical characterization of these materials is complicated by many of diamond's extreme physical properties, such as high hardness and Young's modulus, with a low thermal expansion coefficient. In addition, the interpretation of mechanical property data requires careful consideration of the presence of defects and microstructure. The role of structure is emphasized. Topics include: processing and structure; elastic properties and deformation; residual stresses; fracture and adhesion; friction and wear and applications.