Which classical mechanics book is better: Taylor's or Marion and Thornton's?

[bahal2]

Hi all,

I am looking for a good classical mechanics book to self-study. I'm trying to decide whether to get Taylor's Classical Mechanics or Marion and Thornton's Classical Dynamics of Particles and Systems. Which one of these would you recommend?

Also, is there any substantial difference between the 4th and 5th editions of Marion and Thornton?

Thanks,
Aleksandar

 

[naele]

I used Taylor for my class and I liked it. His derivation of Rutherford scattering was intriguing, was slightly different than the one found in most textbooks.