Which book should I buy to understand Maxwell's Equations deeply

[guiablo]

I've already done Maxwell's equations in class but I would like another point of view, and to have a physical reference to check anytime I have a doubt, so I would like a quite high lvl electrodymacis book but that does not focus only in concrete subjects, I mean a book that covers al the essential with deep mathematical and physics treatment.

I've been recomended:

Classical electrodynamics by Jhon David Jackson
The typical feyman lectures
Electricity and Magnetism by Nayfeh and Brussel
Principles of Electrodynamics by Schwartz

I would like to hear you opinions, on which book you think is the best and why.

[Mentors' note: This post has been edited to remove some discussion of which of these books can be most easily stolen.]

 

[HomogenousCow]

Jackson’s book is all you need for classical electrodynamics, it’s about as comprehensive as a textbook can get. However if you’re looking to understand Electrodynamics on a more fundamental level...you’ll need a QFT text for that.

 

[vanhees71]

Well, Jackson is great, but I think a very important point is to get a more modern view on the foundations, i.e., the relativistic description. Schwartz is an excellent source for this. Then there's of course Landau&Lifshitz vol. 2, which comes to the point much quicker ;-)).

 

[marcusl]

I love Schwartz’s book, but it is not as comprehensive as Jackson or L&L. Use it as a supplement. If you choose L&L instead, then you need to add Electrodynamics of Continuous Media (vol. 8) to vol. 2 (Classical Theory of Fields), to fully cover E&M.

 

[Cryo]

I also support Jackson. The book has a lot of details and also takes time to develop at most of the necessary maths.

 

[HomogenousCow]

Well Schwartz is good for a first foray into classical electrodynamics at the undergrad level, Jackson is much more advanced and does not hold back on the mathematics.

 

[Cryo]

Well Schwartz is good for a first foray into classical electrodynamics at the undergrad level, Jackson is much more advanced and does not hold back on the mathematics.

I think OP specifically mentioned:

I mean a book that covers al the essential with deep mathematical and physics treatment.

 

[Andy Resnick]

I would like a quite high lvl electrodymacis book but that does not focus only in concrete subjects, I mean a book that covers al the essential with deep mathematical and physics treatment.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1107602602/?tag=pfamazon01-20

 

[guiablo]

Jackson’s book is all you need for classical electrodynamics, it’s about as comprehensive as a textbook can get. However if you’re looking to understand Electrodynamics on a more fundamental level...you’ll need a QFT text for that.

I don't really know what you mean by QFT, I'm not english so maybe it's an abreviation i haven't used, can someone translate it for a poor boy like me, tyy.

 

[guiablo]

Well it seems I'll go for Jackson's one then, and I'll try to get Schwartz as well in the future, thanks a lot.

P.d. anyone know Inteoduction to Electrodynamics by David J.Griffiths? Any thought?

 

[BvU]

don't really know what you mean by QFT

A little googling can change that.

Griffiths is good -- Jackson may be too ambitious.

 

[guiablo]

A little googling can change that.

Done, I get it, Jackson will be, I thought it was some type of techical term.

Well I am quite an ambitious person soo, I'll check Griffith's in the library but i think I'm going to keep with Jackson's ty

 

[vanhees71]

Griffith's electrodynamics book is a pretty good introductory textbook.

 

[smodak]

I am going to suggest some basic books. They are basic but explains concepts that are quite enlightening without sacrificing mathematical treatment
1. No-Nonsense Electrodynamics by Schwichtenberg
2. Special Relativity and Classical Field Theory by Susskind
3. A Student's Guide to Maxwell's Equations by Fleisch

and an advanced book
The Classical Theory of Fields by Landau and Lifshitz