Carbon offers unmatched versatility among the elements of the periodic table. Depending on its hybridization state and atomic arrangement, carbon forms the layered semiconductor graphite, the insulator diamond, with its unmatched hardness, the high surface area amorphous carbons, and the nano-sized fullerenes and nanotubes, among others. This paper broadly reviews carbon allotropes, with emphasis on some recent results and applications, particularly in the field of high surface area amorphous carbons. (c) 2007 Society of Chemical Industry.