Classical Who said Lamb's Hydrodynamics is Dry?

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Lamb's Hydrodynamics has been criticized for its dryness, making it difficult for readers to connect with the subject matter, likened to a desert where no water is visible. This perception stems from Lamb's own goal of clarity in teaching, encapsulated in his desire to "make these dry bones live." Despite being a leading textbook in applied mathematics in the 1920s, many students found it challenging to remember that water is wet while engaging with the text. The discussion references historical comparisons to earlier "arid" textbooks and highlights a persistent dry atmosphere in Lamb's work. The biblical imagery of dry bones coming to life is also noted, reflecting the struggle to enliven the material.
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Summary:: I remember seeing somewhere that people said Lamb's Hydrodynamics is so dry that the reader cannot see any water but drawn in a desert. But where did it come from ?

I remember seeing somewhere that people said Lamb's Hydrodynamics is so dry that the reader cannot see any water but drawn in a desert. But where did it come from ?
 
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Lamb started that description about the subject himself;
As a teacher and writer his stated aim was clarity: 'somehow to make these dry bones live'.

But it has been taken up by others against his text.
See; https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev.fl.01.010169.000245
"
Lamb's textbook was the predominant " high-class" textbook for many
years, certainly in England in the 1920's for students of applied mathematics,
but we were not really happy with it. Rayleigh may have contrasted it with
the "arid" textbooks of the 1860's, but in the 1920's we were complaining
that it was impossible to remember while reading Lamb that water is wet.
Something of the same dry atmosphere still persists.
"
 
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Baluncore said:
As a teacher and writer his stated aim was clarity: 'somehow to make these dry bones live'.
A biblical quote from Ezekiel Ch37. In a vision, the prophet comes across a dry valley full of of dry bones which he sees come alive. Also the Delta Rhythm Boys released a 78 "Dem bones dem dry bones" in the '20s.

That Scripture Exam I did when I was about nine years old must have done me some good!
 
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