van der Waals theory for solids

In analogy with the well-known theory for fluids a van der Waals theory for solids is proposed. It is shown that, in agreement with recent predictions, the competition between the van der Waals loop of the fluid and the van der Waals loop of the solid can produce three different types of phase diagrams for a simple fluid. This could be of relevance to the phase behavior of colloidal dispersions.