Conservators and other museum professionals face a large number of issues in their work which involve the mechanical behavior of materials. These include questions on craquelure, restoration of physically damaged objects, the risks of art in transport, or the selection of adhesives. However, when it comes to science, conservation training programs and museum studies curricula focus mostly on chemistry. This book fills this important gap in conservation training. It is the first such book written specifically for the conservation community and the professional with little or no background in (mechanical) engineering. It provides an introduction to the basics of mechanical properties and behavior of materials and objects with examples and exercises based on conservation practice. It discusses more complex issues of mechanical loading of objects and advanced concepts used to solve them. The author has an experience of almost 20 years in the aircraft and energy industries on the mechanical properties and life of engineering components, followed by 20 years in the conservation science world dealing, among others, with issues of vibrations and shock, and the mechanical testing of conservation materials.