$50 dollars to spend on textbooks for Physics (soft covers are okay)

[Elwin.Martin]

So I have the following:
Halliday & Resnick
Griffith's Quantum Mechanics
Ryder's QFT (I have a reason for getting this over Schroeder or the Zee book)
Access to most of my friend's books (everything from Hewitt's Conceptual Physics to MTW's Gravitation) but I want my own copies for a number of reasons


Things I'm considering getting:
Griffith's Electrodynamics
Griffith's Particle book
Goldstein & Poole Classical Mechanics
Shankar's Quantum Mechanics
Jackson's Electrodynamics
Penrose Road to Reality*** not super serious but I've heard it's great.

Everything above I've read through the opening chapters of and fortunately none of them really scare me as much as I thought they would (well the Jackson book...) I would put books like Gravitation on the list but I cannot find it in paperback or used for less than $50 =|

I'm looking to get something that will be useful to me in the long term that I can get used or paperback/international for $50. I know that several of these books can be purchased for that much in those manners but I am unsure what I should get.

Any recommendations? The limit in spending is because it is coming as a gift.
Math texts would probably be good too

 

[Daverz]

There's still a lot to like about Ryder's QFT book.

MTW is somewhat impractical for self study, and there have been a zillion GR books written in the intervening 40 years. For a GR book, I see some used copies of Ohanian for $20 on Amazon. The emphasis is much more "physical" and much less geometrical. Or wait for a cheaper copy of Hartle, which I think is now the best introductory text. But Schutz is still good, and Ryder has weighed in with a text.

Don't forget the http://store.doverpublications.com/by-subject-science-and-mathematics-physics.html.

You could probably pick up cheaper older editions of Goldstein and Jackson. For mechanics, I like the conciseness of Landau & Lifschitz. But be careful, the Elsevier printings had a problem with unreadable fine print. BTW, I think Abebooks or Alibris are better than Amazon for getting exactly the the right edition and condition you want for used books.

 

[Elwin.Martin]

There's still a lot to like about Ryder's QFT book.

MTW is somewhat impractical for self study, and there have been a zillion GR books written in the intervening 40 years. For a GR book, I see some used copies of Ohanian for $20 on Amazon. The emphasis is much more "physical" and much less geometrical. Or wait for a cheaper copy of Hartle, which I think is now the best introductory text. But Schutz is still good, and Ryder has weighed in with a text.

Don't forget the http://store.doverpublications.com/by-subject-science-and-mathematics-physics.html.

You could probably pick up cheaper older editions of Goldstein and Jackson. For mechanics, I like the conciseness of Landau & Lifschitz. But be careful, the Elsevier printings had a problem with unreadable fine print. BTW, I think Abebooks or Alibris are better than Amazon for getting exactly the the right edition and condition you want for used books.

I have yet to begin my Ryder text but this fall I'll be taking an independent study from it ^^; Will Griffith's text be enough preparation? I feel like I'm going to die even though I've heard it's slightly gentler as a text. What do you like about it?

I don't plan on self studying MTW XDDD I'll wait until I'm through with the math required haha but I do plan on needing it is all.

I use Abebooks and Alirbis as often as I look for textbooks (which is oddly quite often lately) I agree that they are both good sites as well. Do you have any issues with their international edition books?

I think I may go with the Goldstein, I may also consider Marion...? I cannot remember but I believe it was another mechanics book that is used more frequently in undergraduate courses.

Thanks a lot for your links to other books, I'll be sure to look into them soon!
Elwin

 

[Daverz]

I have yet to begin my Ryder text but this fall I'll be taking an independent study from it ^^; Will Griffith's text be enough preparation? I feel like I'm going to die even though I've heard it's slightly gentler as a text.

I don't know Griffith's text, but I assume that, being a particle physics book, it deals more with phenomenology. I would recommend https://www.amazon.com/dp/0750308648/?tag=pfamazon01-20 for a gentler introduction to QFT.

What do you like about it?

He writes very clearly. That doesn't mean you'll understand everything, though.

I don't plan on self studying MTW XDDD I'll wait until I'm through with the math required haha but I do plan on needing it is all.

I can understand why you feel you might want such a classic text, but it's not where I'd start with GR.

I use Abebooks and Alirbis as often as I look for textbooks (which is oddly quite often lately) I agree that they are both good sites as well. Do you have any issues with their international edition books?

I've been afraid to take a chance on them. Mainly I worry about the quality of the paper, printing, and binding. Maybe they're not so bad.