What Are Your Favorite Textbooks for Chemical Engineering?

[Mondayman]

Yes :)

Good to know. When I start my UG in the Fall of 2017 I'll be sure to order ALL my textbooks through it!

 

[ProfuselyQuarky]

This thread scares me.

And I thought going into law was bad...

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Good to know. When I start my UG in the Fall of 2017 I'll be sure to order ALL my textbooks through it!

https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/support-pf-buy-on-amazon-com-from-here.473931/

 

[deskswirl]

I am hesitant to post the rest... (precursor of a hoarder?) but here are the rest of my print books:

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Physics 2000 Part I & II Higgins
Fundamentals of Physics Halliday Resnick and Walker
Modern Physics Serway, Moses and Moyer
Modern Physics Rohlf
Introduction to Quantum Mechanics Liboff
Analytical Mechanics Fowles & Cassidy
Fundamentals of Engineering Thermodynamics Moran & Shapiro
Thermodynamics Cengal & Boles
Thermal Physics Schroeder
Thermodynamics Callen
Fluid Mechanics Richardson
Sound Pulses Friedlander
Internal Combustion Engine Fundamentals Heywood
Engineering Problem Solving and Applications Eide, Jenison, Northrup and Mickelson
Electric Circuits Nilsson and Riedel
Electrical Engineering Hambley
Low Level Measurements Keithley
Electronic Design with Off-the-Shelf Integrated Circuits Meiksen & Thackray
The Art of Electronics Horowitz and Hill
Semiconductors Physics & Devices Neamen
Introduction to Microelectronic Fabrication Jaeger
The Science and Engineering of Microelectronic Fabrication Campbell
The Scientist and Engineer’s Guide to Digital Signal Processing Smith
Digital Image Processing Gonzales & Woods
Modern Control Systems Dorf
Microwave and RF Design Steer
Microwave Engineering Pozar
Microwave Technology Pehl
Foundations of Microwave Engineering Collin
Antenna Companion Danzer
Antennas Evans & Britain
Optical Minerology Kerr
Optics Hecht & Ganesan
Optical Fiber Communications Keiser
Optical Fiber Telecommunications VIA Kaminow, Li, & Willner
Introduction to Fourier Optics Goodman
Electric Waves Hertz
Theory of Optics Drude
Field of Force Bjerknes
The Electromagnetic Field Mason & Weaver
Static and Dynamic Electricity Smythe
Electromagnetic Theory Stratton
Classical Electricity and Magnetism Abraham & Becker
Electromagnetic Theory Static Fields and their Mapping Weber
Electromagnetics Kraus
Classical Electricity and Magnetism Panofsky and Philips
Time-Harmonic Electromagnetic Fields Harrington
Theory of Electromagnetism Jones
Lectures on Electromagnetic Theory Solymar
Problems and Solutions in Electromagnetic Theory Lerner
REA’s Problem Solvers Electromagnetics Fogiel
Applied Electromagnetism Shen & Kong
Fields and Waves in Communication Electronics Ramo, Whinnery & van Duzar
Engineering Electromagnetics Demarest
Electromagnetic Waves Someda
Introduction to Electrodynamics Griffiths
Waves in Metamaterials Solymar & Shamonina
Theory and Computation in Electromagnetic Fields Jin
Electromagnetics of Time-Varying Complex Media Kalluri

MATH AND APPLICATIONS
Short-Cut Math Kelly
College Algebra Swokowski & Cole
Used Math Swartz
Single Variable Calculus Stewart
Multivariable Calculus Stewart
Advanced Calculus of Several Variables Edwards
Differential Equations Edwards & Penny
Applied Partial Differential Equations Haberman
Partial Differential Equations Moon & Spencer
div grad curl and all that Schey
Vector Calculus Marsden & Tromba
Vector Analysis with an Introduction to Tensor Analysis Wills
Vectors Moon & Spencer
Linear Algebra Cheney & Kincaid
The Basics of Abstract Algebra Bland
Numerical Analysis Burden & Faires
Applied Numerical Analysis Fausett
Linear Integral Equations Lovitt
Complex Variables with Applications Churchill & Brown
Integral Transforms and their Applications [AMS 25] Davies
Higher Mathematics for Engineers and Physicists Sokolnikoff
Mathematical Methods in the Physical Sciences Boas
Mathematical Methods of Physics Mathews & Walker
A Course in Mathematical Analysis Vol 1 Goursat
Calculus of Variations Forsyth
Variational Principles Moiseiwitsch
Infinite Series and Sequences Knopp
Asymptotic Methods in Analysis de Bruijn
Asymptotic Expansions Erdelyi
Studies on Divergent Series and Summability Ford
Probability and Stochastic Processes Yates & Goodman
Probability Kinney
Stochastic Processes Parzen
Statistics Yamane
Random Signals: Detection, Estimation and Data Analysis Shanmugan & Breiphol
Probability in Communication Engineering Beckmann
A Primer of Real Functions Boas
Introduction to Topology and Modern Analysis Simmons
Integration Shane
Handbook of Mathematical Functions [AMS 55] Abramowitz & Stegun
Table of Integrals Series and Products Gradshteyn & Ryzhik
A Short Table of Integrals Pierce
Tables of Integrals and Other Mathematical Data Dwight
Practical Handbook of Curve Design and Generation von Seggern
MATLAB Attaway
C for Yourself Halpern
Structured FORTRAN 77 Etter
Mathematica Wolfram
The Essentials of Computer Organization and Architecture Null & Lobur
Designing with Microcontrollers The 68HCS12 Almy
Fitting Equations to Data Daniel & Wood
Generating Functionology Wilf
Mathematical Thought from Ancient to Modern Times Vol I & II Kline

SCHAUM’S OUTLINES
Electromagnetics Edminster
Modern Physics Gautreau & Savin
Physics for Engineering and Science Browne
Signals and Systems Hsu
Probability and Statistics Spiegel
Optics Hecht
Fourier Analysis with Applications to Boundary Value Problems Speigel
Calculus of Finite Differences and Difference Equations Speigel
State Space and Linear Systems Wiberg
Advanced Mathematics Speigel
Differential Geometry Lipschutz
Lagrangian Dynamics Wells
Theoretical Mechanics Speigel
Laplace Transforms Speigel
Complex Variables Speigel
Statistics Speigel
Vector Analysis and an introduction to Tensor Analysis Speigel
College Algebra Spiegel

 

[Cruz Martinez]

This thread scares me.

And I thought going into law was bad...

What's scary about it?

 

[vanhees71]

I'm a book addict. It's too much work to type in all the titles of the book, I've on my shelf at home ;-)).

 

[ShayanJ]

I think, for people with so many books, its better to compromise to a top 10 list, its better than having no list from them at all!

Anyway, these are all the books that I have(there are also a few books in my own language but I rarely use them):
Gravitation: Foundations and Frontiers by Thanu Padmanabhan
Quantum Field Theory and the Standard Model by Matthew Schwartz
Decoherence and the Quantum to Classical Transition by Maximilian Schlosshauer
Introduction to Quantum effects in Gravity by Viatcheslav Mukhanov and Sergei Winitzki
Special Relativity in General Frames by Eric Gourgoulhon
Modern Quantum Mechanics by Jun Sakurai and Jim Napolitano
Classical Electrodynamics by John Jackson

I'm a particle physics master's student now and my master's thesis will probably be in the field of studying Quark-Gluon plasma using AdS/CFT correspondence so its very probable I get a book or two about this subject(one of them is probably "Gauge/String Duaity, Hot QCD and Heavy Ion Collisions" by Solana et. al. and the other "Ads/CFT Duality User Guide" by Makoto Natsuume). I also plan to get Pathria's statistical mechanics textbook and also Laloe's "Do we really understand quantum mechanics?".

 

[jasonRF]

I'm a book addict. It's too much work to type in all the titles of the book, I've on my shelf at home ;-)).

I'm in the same boat. However, when I consider which books I have used often in my work in industry as an electrical engineer, the number is closer to a dozen or so. Probably the top two are

Probability, random variables and stochastic processes, 3rd edition, by Papoulis

Fields and waves in communication electronics, 2nd edition, by Ramo, Whinnery and Van Duzer.

these are not the absolute best books, but I took classes out of them so can find stuff easily and I know the notation. Most of all they have a pretty large scope, so the basic ideas of a lot of topics are included.

 

[ProfuselyQuarky]

What's scary about it?

I can barely cover a few pages of a something within a week, if I'm expected to read and understand a collection this extensive...

 

[vanhees71]

Well, my alltime favorites are

General (theory) textbooks
-------------------------------

Sommerfeld, Lectures on Theoretical Physics (6 vols.)
W. Pauli, Lectures on theoretical physics (6 vols.)
The Feynman Lectures (3 vols.)
Landau, Lifshitz, Course on Theoretical Physics (mostly vols. 2, VI, VIII-X)
Bartelmann et al Theoretische Physik (in German)

Quantum Mechanics
----------------------

J. J. Sakurai, Modern Quantum Mechanics
P. A. M. Dirac, The Principles of Quantum Mechanics
S. Weinberg, Lectures on Quantum Mechanics
J. Schwinger, Quantum Mechanics - Symbolism of atomic measurements
Messiah, Quantum Mechanics
Ballentine, Quantum Mechanics

QFT (in vacuo)
-----------------

M. Schwartz, Quantum field theory and the standard model
S. Weinberg, The quantum theory of fields (3 Vols.)
Bailin&Love, Gauge theories
J. C. Taylor, Gauge theories of weak interactions
Collins, Renormalisation

QFT (many body)
-------------------

C. Gale, J. Kapusta, Finite temperature field theory
M. LeBellac, Thermal field theory

Stat. Phys. & Kinetic theory
-------------------------------

H. Callen, Thermodynamics and an introduction to thermostatistics
F. Reif, Fundamentals of statistical and thermal physics
de Groot et al, Relativistic kinetic theory
Cercignani, The relativistic Boltzmann equation
Risken, The Fokker-Planck equation

 

[MathematicalPhysicist]

I have something like hundreds of ebooks on my harddisk.

I also have hardcopy which I purchased, something like between 30-80 books on paper copy.

If I plan on reading all these books and papers I shouldn't plan on dying in the 100000000 coming years... :-D

 

[MathematicalPhysicist]

Well, my alltime favorites are

General (theory) textbooks
-------------------------------

Sommerfeld, Lectures on Theoretical Physics (6 vols.)
W. Pauli, Lectures on theoretical physics (6 vols.)
The Feynman Lectures (3 vols.)
Landau, Lifshitz, Course on Theoretical Physics (mostly vols. 2, VI, VIII-X)
Bartelmann et al Theoretische Physik (in German)

Quantum Mechanics
----------------------

J. J. Sakurai, Modern Quantum Mechanics
P. A. M. Dirac, The Principles of Quantum Mechanics
S. Weinberg, Lectures on Quantum Mechanics
J. Schwinger, Quantum Mechanics - Symbolism of atomic measurements
Messiah, Quantum Mechanics
Ballentine, Quantum Mechanics

QFT (in vacuo)
-----------------

M. Schwartz, Quantum field theory and the standard model
S. Weinberg, The quantum theory of fields (3 Vols.)
Bailin&Love, Gauge theories
J. C. Taylor, Gauge theories of weak interactions
Collins, Renormalisation

QFT (many body)
-------------------

C. Gale, J. Kapusta, Finite temperature field theory
M. LeBellac, Thermal field theory

Stat. Phys. & Kinetic theory
-------------------------------

H. Callen, Thermodynamics and an introduction to thermostatistics
F. Reif, Fundamentals of statistical and thermal physics
de Groot et al, Relativistic kinetic theory
Cercignani, The relativistic Boltzmann equation
Risken, The Fokker-Planck equation

How did you use these books? cover to cover or as references?

Reading technical literature is a time consuming endeavour, you need to justify everything you do or read be it as an exercise or as justification of what you read.

 

[bacte2013]

[UPDATE] Undergraduate in US pursuing mathematics and microbiology majors. Most of my books are dedicated for courses and my research in the mathematics and computational microbiology:

Accelerated C++: Practical Programming by Example, A. Koenig
Additive Number Theory: The Classical Bases, M. Nathanson
Additive Number Theory: Inverse Problems and Geometry of Sumsets, M. Nathanson
Algebraic Topology, A. Hatcher
Algorithms, R. Sedgewick, et. al.
An Introduction to the Theory of Numbers, I. Niven et. al.
Applied Predictive Modeling, M. Kuhn
Biological Sequence Analysis: Probabilistic Models of Proteins and Nucleic Acids, R. Durbin, et. al.
Brock Biology of Microorganisms, M. Madigan, et. al.
Calculus with Analytic Geometry, G. Simmons
Complex Analysis, J. Bak, et. al.
Complex Analysis, L. Ahlfors
Convex Analysis, R. Rockafellar
Elements of the Theory of Functions and Functional Analysis, A. Kolmogorov, et. al.
Elementary Number Theory, D. Burton
Elementary Real and Complex Analysis, G. Shilov
Foundations of Analysis, E. Landau
General Topology, J. Kelley
Introduction to Algorithms, T. Cormen, et. al.
Introduction to Graph Theory, G. Chartrand
Introduction to the Theory of Computation, M. Sipser
Kuby Immunology, J. Owen, et. al.
Linear Algebra, Friedberg, et. al.
Linear Algebra, Hoffman/Kunze
Linear Representations of Finite Groups, J.P. Serre
Machine Learning, K. Murphy
Machine Learning, T. Mitchell
Machine Learning, P. Flach
Machine Learning with R, B. Lantz
Medical Microbiology, P. Murray, et al.
Molecular Biology of the Cells, B. Alberts, et. al.
Principles of Mathematical Analysis, W. Rudin
Principles of Virology, S. Flint
Real and Complex Analysis, W. Rudin
Real Mathematical Analysis, C. Pugh
Set Theory, T. Jech
The Analysis of Biological Data, M. Whitlock, et. al.
The Elements of Statistical Learning, T. Hastie, et al.
The Foundations of Analysis, R. Mikula
Topics in Algebra, I. N. Herstein
Topology, J. Dugundji
Topology, J. Munkres
Vector Calculus, Linear Algebra, and Differential Forms, Hubbard/Hubbard
Virology: Principles and Applications, J. Carter

 

[George Jones]

When this thread started, I had already started cataloging my books, and was about 40% done. I had intended to complete the process little-by-little over the next few weeks, but I have accelerated the process, and I should be done tomorrow. I have attached a picture of me taken exactly 10 years ago, with some of the books I then had, e.g., many of the quantum books I then had are not in view. I now am less heavy, greyer, and have many more books.

 

[Truecrimson]

Marked with an asterisk are the ones that I don't own as a hard copy (but have in my computer) nor used in a coursework but I found to be useful / like so far. (I worked on a project in quantum noise / optics in the past and now trying to use differential geometry and representation theory in quantum computation.)

The last one is not really a textbook but it made me drop biology to pursue quantum and information theory in the first place.

A First Course in Abstract Algebra - Fraleigh
Abstract Linear Algebra - Curtis
An Introduction to Information Theory - Pierce
*An Introduction to Lie Groups and Lie Algebras - Kirillov Jr.
An Introduction to Modern Cosmology - Liddle
Analytical Mechanics - Fowles & Cassiday
Basic Algebra Vol. I, II - Jacobson
Basic Complex Analysis - Marsden & Hoffman
Biology - Campbell et al.
*Classical Electromagnetism - Jerrold Franklin
*Complex Semisimple Lie Algebras - Serre
*Computational Complexity - Arora & Barak
*Do We Really Understand Quantum Mechanics? - Laloë
Elementary Analysis - Ross
Elements of Information Theory - Cover & Thomas
Information Theory - Ash
Introduction to Electrodynamics - Griffiths
Introduction to General Relativity - Ryder
Introduction to Quantum Mechanics - Griffiths
Introduction to Smooth Manifolds - Lee
*Lectures on Lie Groups and Lie Algebras - Carter, Segal & Macdonald
Lectures on Quantum Theory: Mathematical and Structural Foundations - Isham
*Lie Groups: An Approach through Invariants and Representations - Procesi
*Lie Groups Beyond an Introduction - Knapp
*Linear Representations of Finite Groups - Serre
Manifolds and Differential Geometry - Lee
Mathematical Physics - Geroch
Mathematics for Physics and Physicists - Appel
Modern Quantum Field Theory - Banks
*Physics for Mathematicians: Mechanics I - Spivak
Principles of Biochemistry - Lehninger
Principles of Genetics - Snustad & Simmons
Principles of Mathematical Analysis - Rudin
Principles of Organic Chemistry - Hornback
Quantum Computation and Quantum Information - Nielsen & Chuang
Quantum Computing Since Democritus - Aaronson
*Quantum Measurement and Control - Wiseman & Milburn
Quantum Mechanics - Cohen-Tannoudji, Diu & Laloë
Quantum Mechanics: A Modern Development - Ballentine
*Quantum Mechanics: Concepts and Applications - Zettili
*Quantum Noise - Gardiner & Zoller
*Quantum Optics: An Introduction - Fox
Quantum Processes, Systems, and Information - Schumacher & Westmoreland
Quantum Theory: Concepts and Methods - Peres
Real Mathematical Analysis - Pugh
Semi-Simple Lie Algebras and Their Representations - Cahn
Spacetime Physics (1st ed.) - Taylor & Wheeler
*Speakable and Unspeakable in Quantum Mechanics - Bell
Scientific Reasoning: The Bayesian Approach (2nd ed.) - Howson & Urbach
Statistical Physics: A Probabilistic Approach - Lavenda
Statistical Thermophysics - Robertson
Statistics - Barlow
The Nature of Computation - Moore & Mertens
*The Princeton Companion to Mathematics - Gowers (ed.)
The Quantum Theory of Fields Vol. 1 - Weinberg
Thermal Physics (1st ed.) - Kittel
Thermodynamics and an Introduction to Thermostatistics - Callen
What is Life? - Schrödinger

I'm currently waiting for Xiao-Gang Wen's Quantum Field Theory of Many-Body Systems that I ordered from Amazon.

 

[bacte2013]

^
I like Moore&Mertens book; although it is not really a learning source, it is very comprehensive on the computability. How is "Basic Algebra I&II" compared to books like Lang, Hungerford, and Birkhoff/MacLane?

 

[Truecrimson]

^
I like Moore&Mertens book; although it is not really a learning source, it is very comprehensive on the computability. How is "Basic Algebra I&II" compared to books like Lang, Hungerford, and Birkhoff/MacLane?

I took a quantum computing course from Cris Moore so I bought it without thinking too much at that time.

I've never read other algebra books that you listed so I wouldn't dare compare them, but I heard that Jacobson's writing is better motivated than Lang and Hungerford. It seems like I should check out Birkhoff & MacLane some time. (Thanks bacte2013!) But content-wise, Jacobson doesn't really have much linear and multilinear algebra while Birkhoff & MacLane doesn't have representation theory and homological algebra. (Jacobson II has much more content beyond my level.)

 

[MexChemE]

When this thread started, I had already started cataloging my books, and was about 40% done. I had intended to complete the process little-by-little over the next few weeks, but I have accelerated the process, and I should be done tomorrow. I have attached a picture of me taken exactly 10 years ago, with some of the books I then had, e.g., many of the quantum books I then had are not in view. I now am less heavy, greyer, and have many more books.

That's an impressive collection! Are the yellow books part of a series? I noticed they're all very similar.

 

[George Jones]

That's an impressive collection! Are the yellow books part of a series? I noticed they're all very similar.

That represents less than half the books that I now have.

The yellow books are published by Springer, and there are a number of series, e.g., Undergraduate Texts in Mathematics, Graduate Texts in Mathematics (white top, yellow bottom), etc.

 

[johnnyrev]

This thread scares me.

And I thought going into law was bad...

Try Theology sometime.
EDIT: texts. I meant textbooks.

 

[MexChemE]

Just got two great additions to my collection!

Treybal's Mass Transfer Operations, which is easily the best textbook I've read regarding unit operations; it was really hard to obtain a brand-new copy, as it had gone out of print since 1988. I also got Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook, which is as legendary as BSL as a chemical engineering reference, and with a 65% discount off its retail price, thanks to an offer made to my school's ChemE department.

Hope you're all doing great!

 

[S.G. Janssens]

Just got two great additions to my collection!

Congratulations. Few things are more satisfying than obtaining a copy of a book that has gone out of print a long time ago.

Hope you're all doing great!

I hope the same for you.

Incidentally, is the picture in your avatar a refinery? It reminds me a lot of the refineries in Pernis (The Netherlands), not far from where I live. They are beautiful at night and I love the smell, when the wind is right.

 

[MexChemE]

Incidentally, is the picture in your avatar a refinery? It reminds me a lot of the refineries in Pernis (The Netherlands), not far from where I live. They are beautiful at night and I love the smell, when the wind is right.

Indeed, it is. That's Ingeniero Antonio M. Amor refinery in Salamanca, Guanajuato, operated by PEMEX.

I do believe chemical plants at night are some of the most impressive man-made sights to behold. And most people I know would agree with us.

 

[Andy Resnick]

Here's about half of my library:

I won't list them all... Besides the 'standards' and textbooks, my top-20 list is:

Books that could/should be used as standard texts:
Theoretical Physics (Greiner, 9 vol)
Interfacial Transport Phenomena (Slattery)
Introduction to Many-Body Physics (Coleman)
Introduction to Error Analysis (Taylor)
Life in Moving Fluids (Vogel)
Advanced Light Microscopy (Pluta, 2 vol)
Mechanics of Motor Proteins and the Cytoskeleton (Howard)
Mechanical Vibrations (Rao)

Oddball titles:
Encyclopedic Dictionary of Mathematics, 2nd edition (2 vol)
The Geometry of Biological Time (Winfree)
How to Build a Working Digital Computer (Alcosser, Phillips, and Wolk)
Non-Newtonian Calculus (Grossman and Katz)
The Tragicomical History of Thermodynamics 1822-1854 (Truesdell)
Fission Product Yields and their Mass Distribution (Zysin, Lbov, Sel’chenkov)
A Million Random Digits with 100,000 Normal Deviates (RAND Corporation)
Infrared Reflectance of Aircraft Paints AFGL-TR-84-0307
Urological Oddities (Dakin)

Large-format photo/illustrations:
Nephrons and Kidneys (Oliver)
The Martian Landscape NASA SP-425
Mission to Earth: LANDSAT Views the World NASA SP-360

 

[Demystifier]

I'm a book addict.

Me too. I have much more books than I will ever be able to read.

 

[Stephen Tashi]

I've heard a perhaps apocryphal story that there was a well known math professor whose office had the typical wall of bookshelves. He dusted the shelves regularly, but on them he kept only one book. (This was obviously a symbolic statement aimed at his students and colleagues. )

My personal science library is mostly in closed cabinets and boxes. It has made an outstanding contribution to the quality of my life through the exercise it gave me as I packed and un-packed it, carried from apartment to apartment, up and down stairs, into and out of buildings.

 

[Demystifier]

but on them he kept only one book.

Which one?

 

[vanhees71]

I'm pretty sure it must have been a physics book, because if you have only one book to live with it must be a really interesting one, which leads to the conclusion that it must be one about QFT .

 

[Demystifier]

I'm pretty sure it must have been a physics book, because if you have only one book to live with it must be a really interesting one, which leads to the conclusion that it must be one about QFT .

He was a math professor, but I suspect that it was neither math book nor science book. A person with only one book must be a very practical person, so it must have been some very practical book. Perhaps a phone book or the air condition manual?

 

[vanhees71]

On the other hand mathematicians don't like practical things. So why should he have a practical book?