Other Errata for Greiner's Series on Theoretical Physics

AI Thread Summary
The primary concern raised in the discussion about the Greiner series is the prevalence of typos, which detracts from the series' overall acclaim. Participants express frustration over the lack of available errata and the potential impact of translation issues from German to English on the quality of the texts. Some users have attempted to contact the publisher, Springer, regarding errata but have not received satisfactory responses. While some readers report fewer typos in the latest ebook editions, others note that the original volumes contain significant errors, particularly in formulas. There is a suggestion to compile a list of typos and corrections to assist fellow readers. Additionally, participants share information about the latest editions of the books, emphasizing the importance of obtaining updated versions to minimize errors.
FourEyedRaven
Messages
72
Reaction score
46
Hi.

The #1 complaint about the Greiner series are the typos. It's a shame how it undermines the potential of this series which is, otherwise, highly acclaimed. Do you know where errata for any of these volumes can be found? Or perhaps those who have read some of the books could share their own corrections so we can gather all of them in one place.

I would appreciate your replies.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
My god... Glad someone asked. I've also been searching for the errata but with no luck. I really hope someone could compile or the publisher should have been more responsible with this since they are destroying a gem here!
 
  • Like
Likes FourEyedRaven
berkeman said:
Is it because of the translations from German to English, or were the typos in the original German books too?

http://onphysicsbooks.blogspot.com/2009/01/walter-greiner.html
My Google Search didn't find any errata for this series. Have you tried contacting Springer?

I believe it is due to poor revision of the translations. One review on amazon mentions that, occasionally, the sentences are a bit strange on that volume because they were translated. But the real problem seems to be the typos in the formulas. The volumes that have new editions do not have as many typos. But it is a big complaint about the other volumes.

I did not contact Springer. But if they had erratas for this series they would probably publish them, like they do with other books. Their website does not have errata for these volumes.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Likes berkeman
Oh, I am really interested in W. Greiner's textbook series. I have sent an email to Springer asking for the latest printings. If anyone is still interested I will post here their answer. In my opinion, his books are a gem.
I have not found any list of errors on the internet, either.
 
Llukis said:
Oh, I am really interested in W. Greiner's textbook series. I have sent an email to Springer asking for the latest printings. If anyone is still interested I will post here their answer. In my opinion, his books are a gem.
I have not found any list of errors on the internet, either.

I'm still reading the 1st volume. So far the number of typos have been much lower than I thought. I bought the ebooks on Springer when they were on sale, so I got the latest versions of all of them. Even the 1st volume, which is still only a 1st edition, is pretty much free of typos. It is more common to find a weird phrasing than a typo. The translation is not perfect, but very good. Overall I'm very happy so far.

EDIT: I did contact Springer, exchanged a bunch of emails, but it went nowhere. I will probably post here the typos I find as the years go by. I'm doing this on my free time.
 
I have no answer from Springer yet...
 
  • Sad
Likes yucheng
So far I have no news from Springer.
Perhaps , we could share the typos and corrections in a new thread.
By the way, does anybody know which are the latest edition or printings of each one of the Greiner's books?
 
Classical Mechanics : Point Particles and Relativity - 1st edition (2004)
Classical Mechanics: Systems of Particles and Hamiltonian Dynamics - 2nd Edition (2010)
Classical Electrodynamics - 1st Edition (1998)
Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics - 1st Edition (1995)
Quantum Mechanics: An Introduction - 4th Edition (2001)
Quantum Mechanics: Special Chapters - 1st Edition, 2nd Printing (2001)
Quantum Mechanics: Symmetries - 2nd Edition, 3rd Printing (2001)
Relativistic Quantum Mechanics: Wave Equations - 3rd Edition (2000, softcover reprint of the 1996 hardcover)
Field Quantization - 1st Edition (1996)
Quantum Electrodynamics - 4th Edition (2009)
Quantum Chromodynamics - 3rd Edition (2007)
Nuclear Models - 1st Edition (1996)
Gauge Theory of Weak Interactions - 4th Edition (2009)

As far as I know these are the latest versions of the books. I have bought almost all of them from Springer's online store in ebook format when they were on sale. If you wait long enough you can buy them for a much lower price than the normal one.

If someone finds any later prints or editions, please let me know.
 
  • Love
Likes Llukis
Back
Top