One of the best pieces of advice I received from a fellow engineer was to keep all my engineering books from university. He explained that the books you used to learn a topic are usually the easiest for you to go back and reference if you need to.
But beyond that, most engineers have a set of essential reference books they keep on their desk. I haven’t really been in the industry long enough to specialize or have established as large a collection as I would like but here are a few of my favorites so far for mechanical engineering, and why. I hope all you engineering readers or even non-engineering readers will post with the favorite books you use in your field.
Machinery’s Handbook
This is the standard every Mechanical Engineer has been using since it was first published some 30 editions ago in 1914. The subtitle reads “A reference book for the mechanical engineer, designer, maunufacturing engineer, draftsman, toolmaker and machinist” and that about sums it up. I’ve used it for a quick reference for material properties and bolts, nuts and fastener dimensions. It’s been real handy when I’m trying to dimension a fit whether it be a certain level of press fit or countersink or clearance. But it goes into a lot more detail than that on welding techniques, tool definitions, inspecting guidelines, and plenty of diagrams for stress and strain.
Roark’s Formulas for Stress and Strain
Speaking of stress and strain, this is ye olde standby reference book. It’s still one of those where you need to know a little about what you’re looking for but once you get the hang of it it’s extremely useful. In fact it reminds me a lot of my textbook from high school but with way more diagrams and reference tables. I think it’d be difficult to learn from, but if you have a good grounding and want a reference book I like this one.
Mechanics and Thermodynamics of Propulsion
This was one of my textbooks. It’s a little basic but has a lot of good equations when you’re looking at a jet engine or typical components you might find in a jet engine. Good information for compressor maps and basic functioning of turboprop and turbofan engines. A little on the theoretical side is its main drawback.
Bosch’s Automotive Handbook
The essential reference for the automotive engineer. Some crossover information with the Machinery’s Handbook but good specific information for your car engine. Gives data on common oils and lubricants and an overview on lubricating systems and cooling systems as well as testing and inspection information. You need to know something about autos to be able to benefit from this quick lookup guide but otherwise it fills in the gaps that Machinery’s does not have.
So how about you dear reader, what are your essential reference guides? How did you find the books you have and are your favorites and has that changed any as you’ve switched careers or specializations?
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Hertzberg, Deformation and Fracture Mechanics of Engineering Materials
Both a great reference for quickly looking up equations and for in-depth explanations.
Schey, Div, Grad, Curl and all that
Because my vector calculus skills are weak and their explanations are not.
Gaskell, Introduction to the Thermodynamics of Materials
Probably the most heavily notated book on my shelf because I use it so often. A bit dense, but almost everything I need is in there somewhere.
I’m still working on finding my key simulation books, but those are three of my favorite references, even as I’ve moved away from the metallurgy side of things.
I kept every single last one of my university text books (those that weren’t stolen) as well as all my class notes. My office has a small collection of them, including the bible of circuit design during my undergrad days — Microelectronic Circuits by Sedra & Smith.
Others are texts I’ve picked up over the years, with books on phase-locked loops dominating the shelf.
The Art of Electronics. If you’re doing board level design, you probably have this book. And love it.
I have a bunch more, but honestly they’re mostly at home. I use them more there to brush up on stuff. I can use THE GOOGLE when I need info at work. Or a co-worker might have a book. Or I might have the digital copy of a book. In fact, now that I’m thinking about it, my profs choose some pretty crap books. All the ones I have now are not the ones from when I was in school.
I never understood keeping class notes like Fluxor, though he probably took much better notes than me. I’m more of an auditory learner, so notes didn’t do it as much as hearing it and then digging into a problem set (which I’m decently sure I burned in rebellion once I was out of school).
I didn’t just keep class notes. I have a banker’s box of junk for every semester in undergrad. Class notes, transcripts, doodles, knick-knacks, letters, etc. I’m not a good note taker, but my classmates are. That’s what photocopiers are for. I then complain about their bad handwriting.
I had a copy of “Integrated Electronics” by Millman and Halkias in my bookcase for years after my graduation. Until my ex-wife threw it in the lake. Along with my rowing machine. And a monitor.
I don’t know what’s scarier…the fact that your ex-wife threw your stuff into a lake…or that she could throw a rowing machine…
I’m still in school and have saved most of my textbooks so far as well. I agree with Chris about saving notes, they never did much for me either. The ones I reference most often are:
The Op Amp Applications Handbook – Analog Devices
Has a lot of great amplifier schematics, circuit topologies, design tips, and PCB layout techniques.
Analog Filter Design – Van Valkenburg
An insanely useful book containing information on a wide variety of analog filter concepts from the underlying math to pros and cons of different designs.
Analog Integrated Circuit Design – Johns & Martin
For when I need to remember basic transistor level circuits. It also has a few good chapters on A/D and D/A topologies.
Troubleshooting Analog Circuits – Bob Pease
Not a textbook but still a great reference for anyone doing PCB level circuit design in my opinion.
Still have Sedra & Smith like Fluxor but it’s gathering dust somewhere; maybe I should dig it out…
I have John & Martin as well.
John, Martin, Sedra, and Smith were all with the University of Toronto when their textbooks were published. Seems like these four along with Gray and Meyer’s book (Analysis and Design of Analog ICs) from Berkeley have cornered 95% of the analog IC textbook market.
Grey & Meyer is a good book too. Their book focuses more on BJT design rather than CMOS like Johns & Martin,at least the 3rd edition does.
Optics by Hecht
Art of Electronics by Horowitz and Hill
and my favorite…
All of the optics notes for the textbook I’m writing by GEARS 😛
I really liked Hecht.
Optics was fun, but I really didn’t enjoy photonics all that much.
My favorites for engineering are Antenna Theory and Design by Stutzman and Thiele and Numerical Techniques on Electromagnetics by Sadiku.
I’ll stop there because I have a whole two bookcases of reference books that you don’t want to hear about.
I kept all my engineering class texts from undergrad, and now grad school. Sold back the non-technical books with absolutely no twinges.
I keep most of the books in my room, but in my office I have the ones I use now:
System Dynamics by Ogata
Statistical Quality Control by Montgomery
Manufacturing Engineering and Technology by Kalpakjian
And one I do not own, but steal fairly regularly from officemates:
Precision Machine Design by Slocum
Ahhh Slocum’s book…
Henry Ott’s “Electromagnetic Compatibility Engineering” is my favorite EE book of all time. It covers everything from component bypassing to ESD protection, board layout, etc. in an easily understandable manner while providing a lot of data to back up its recommendations, and providing some great resources for further reading into specific subjects.
Ott is very good, but I prefer Paul’s book. It has a lot more of the theoretical background and is more up to date.
The Ott book I mentioned is actually fairly new and up to date (2009), you may be thinking of Ott’s older “Noise Reduction Techniques in Electronic Systems”. Paul’s book, “Introduction to Electromagnetic Compatibility” looks very good to according to the Amazon reviews, although too much theoretical stuff can be a negative for me (one reason I really like Ott). I’ll have to add it to my “future books” list. If only engineering books were more affordable…
I’m still a student and a book hoarder. So far, I’ve kept every book I’ve purchased and plan to continue to do so. I need to get my wife to read these replies. She’s keeps hassling me to sell them back to the school each semester, but I refuse to do it. Now, I can tell her that I’m not the only one that keeps the books.
I have a number of books that have stood the test of time (around 25 years now) including:
RF Circuit Design by Bowick – all you need to know about matching and a bit about filters
Radio Frequency Design by Wes Hayward
Active Filter Cookbook by Lancaster
Electronics Pocket Book by E A Parr which has useful background on sensors, etc
Digital Communications by Proakis
Phase Noise in Signal Sources by Robins
and, of course, Horrowitz & Hill (I have never owned this but it is never far away)
Together with a few more ‘recent’ additions:
Digital Signal Processing in Communication Systems by Frerking
The Circuit Designers Companion by Williams
Digital Communication Receivers by Meyr et al
As well as the hundreds of others that get referred to occasionally, it is suprising how often a school book on organic chemistry has come to the rescue…
Well I own a quite large bookshelf with lots of books. Half of them are the usual references, the other half are books I bought cheaply on some sale.
But currently on the small stack next to my desk are, though half of them are borrowed from somewhere:
Pozar, Microwave Engineering
Balanis, Atenna Theory
Balanis, Adv. Engineering Electromagnetics
Press, Numerical Recipes
Itoh, Numerical Techniques for microwave and millimeter wave passive structures.
Mathaei and Young, Microwave Filters…
Dudley, Mathematical Foundations for Electromagnetic Theory
and Bronstein, Taschenbuch der Mathematik.
oh and Conway’s on Numbers and Games for the breaks.
Look like the book you have say allot about your day-to-day role.
I did not do uni but have all my collage books as follows:
Art Of Electronics – with tons of bookmarks in it and notes in the columns.
Fault Diagnosis of Digital Systems – basic but good ground rules
Electrical Application 2 and 3 – more mains and motor type stuff
BTEC maths from level 2 to 5 – for transposing formula as I never got the hang of that
Kaschke and EPCOS ferrite books data books which sit with my Wurth Trilogy of Inductors – Not as good as the Lord of the Rings Trilogy but just as hard a plot to follow!
Last but not least is…
The Designers Guide to VHDL
I design bridge cranes for my humble living. So, I live both in the world of civil (structural) and mechanical design.
AISC Steel Construction Manual
ASCE 7-05 Min Design Loads for Bldgs & Structures
Blodgett’s Design of Welded Structures
A bunch of speciality books in the garage on ceramics, plasma etching, old school dynamic analysis (before computers),
Schaum’s Outlines, etc.
If you’re ever thinking of taking your PE exam, one thing that you learn is that no one book will cover everything in enough detail that can possibly show up in the exam. I took my basic PE review course book and split it up to install into large binders. I then xerox sections of different books and added that info into the appropriate categories in the binders. Everything was indexed and it worked like a charm.
Another time saver was to spiral bind anything that wasn’t in the binders. All of my Schaumn’s Outlines were split apart and rebound. You can’t imagine how important it was to have everything lie flat when you’re trying to find information under stress.