The Art of Electronics - third Edition

* PhysicalThe book has 1192 pages. Its printed on slightly thin but good quality paper but has good text readability.* Target Audience H.N.D, Under graduate, post graduate, Masters?In my humble opinion, this book covers all the above.* What's the best bits?This book has inherited some of the 2nd Art of Electronics stuff. The rest is all shiny new.This book covers and gives a tremendous breadth AND depth of information. From Foundation, Bipolar Transistors, Field - Effect Transistors, Operational Amplifiers, Precision Circuits, Filters, Oscillators and Timers, Low Noise Techniques, Voltage Regulation and Power Conversion, Digital Logic, Programmable Logic Devices, Logic Interfacing, Digital meets Analogue, Computers Controllers and Data Links, Microcontrollers, Appendix A, B, C , D, E, F,G, H Transmission lines and Impedance Matching, (I) Television, (J) Spice, (K) Where do i buy Electronic goodies?, (L) Workbench Instruments and Tools (M) Catalogues Mags and Data Books (N) Further Reading and References (O) the Oscilloscope (P) Acronyms and Abbreviations.The way it organised is a work of art in its self. The information is beautifully organised. And with limited mathematical content is too help not frustrating. Its the easiest first then increasingly technically explained and explored as you progress through it. This is a MUST for your degree studies. It gives you so much as you explore its topics. Is it an encyclopedia or a textbook? Both! You can read this dropping into some topics. There is so much I can't show you this or that, it's all beautiful!. The topics you find hard are explained clearly.Is it professional quality? Yes! At the latter parts, the design work is so clear. For example, the stuff on ADC / DAC is eye popping usefully and clearly explained. The best I have ever read! As is the filters stuff.* SummaryThis book is H.N.D, Hons Degree, (and perhaps) Masters level support for in-depth electronics studies. It's clear, and up to date. What are you waiting for? If your studying electronics, then you need to buy it!I recall when i started studying electronics, the previous Art of Electronics, Book 2 it was overwhelming. Go for an easier one to start with, such as Practical Electronics for Inventors, book 4, and Learning the Art of Electronics then drift into this superb volume.If you can have an 'open book' exam, allowing you to bring a book in with you, then you need to have in-depth knowledge of this book prior to this, but its a great help if you know your way around it already.

"All" may be a bit of a stretch, but it's close.I have the first edition of this book from my undergraduate days in the 1980s. Then I left university and did nothing with the knowledge I was supposed to have gained. But recently, having had my eye caught by some "clever" YouTube electronics makers, I felt a hankering, yearning and a stirring of desire to recapture the spirit of things past. As if gripped by an unseen force I found myself accumulating various components and sticking them to circuit boards with molten solder.I was surprised by how much basic info I had retained. I was not surprised by how much I had forgotten. How to make up for that lost knowledge? How to get up to speed with anything new that might have appeared - after all it's been the best part of 40 years.Of course I turned to Google, but found myself sometimes disagreeing with the advice given there. This is where this book comes in. It is comprehensive. The style is just the right blend of conversational and technical. And yes, I found vindication within its pages. Also shame, as though I was righter than Stack Exchange, I was not quite as right as Horowitz and Hill!If you want to go beyond copying blindly to understanding, if you want to make something that not only works but works well, if you want to embrace the art and, dare I say it, craft of electronics, then this is the book for you.

This book is way bigger and heavier than I expected - but that's because it is so comprehensive. It has been on my wish list ever since the 3rd edition was launched. I wish I had bought it 2 years ago as I might have read most of it by now!The style of the book is that of an experienced engineer telling you all they know and emphasising what is important - rather than an academic / technical lecturer. This makes the book far more accessible than one might expect from a Harvard professor - think of Paul Horowitz as the Richard Feynman of electronics.The only reservation is that the sheer size and weight means this is a document you read on a desk, workbench or table and not on your lap.I purchased the print version as I was concerned that tech books don't display well on Kindle devices. I have downloaded the Kindle sample onto my IPad and the format is retained completely. I am seriously considering buying the Kindle version AS WELL as it's better suited to casual reading (though I think some of the more complex tables might be hard to read).I studied Electronics at University and worked for several years in design before moving to computer systems. This is an excellent, accessible and practical text. Worth every penny of it's price - don't make my mistake, buy it now!