Encyclopedic coverage, clear explanations. Especially good for analog electronics. Among beginners, all but the brightest will be overwhelmed and perplexed. This is the book you need to help you advance from "good" to "top notch".

My experience is that of a theoretical physicist who likes to tinker. I have the first edition, purchased about 1980, after I had already designed my own low noise, low quiescent current, rail-to-rail power op-amp (at a time when they were not commercially available at anything resembling a reasonable price). I certainly wish I had encountered this wonderful book even sooner.

You can reasonably assume from the price of this volume alone it is not something for beginning electronic circuit design enthusiasts.

Thankfully I had a couple of semesters of electronic theory and circuit design before my wife purchased "The Art of Electronics" as a gift. If not I would have been way over my head. For those with a basic grounding (no pun) in electronics you really can't go wrong with this book however I would suggest an additional purchase of the "Student Manual for The Art of Electronics."

An excellent text and an excellent reference. Clear enough for the novice and in-depth enough for the experienced.

It is amazing to see a book remained singularly as the most useful on electronics which has seen its most rapid evolution in recent decades. This book does not exhaust its wisdom even as you gain experience. It is a joy to read even after my first encounter fifteen years ago. Actually I enjoy it more than ever. From time to time, I'll pick up a neat circuit technique that did not get my attention previously.

It is amazing to see a book remained singularly as the most useful on electronics which has seen its most rapid evolution in recent decades. This book does not exhaust its wisdom even as you gain experience. It is a joy to read even after my first encounter fifteen years ago. Actually I enjoy it more than ever.

I've always been particularly fascinated by electronics, circuits, and the whole realm in general, and I bought this book with the hopes of expanding that interest into a constructive hobby.

I have had basic experience with electronics in the past, and taken classes in Differential Equations, Calc 1-3, Linear Algebra, Physics, even some intro Electrical/Computer Engineering courses (all a long time ago though), but WOWee is this book complicated. It's 1300 pages and EVERY SINGLE PARAGRAPH is filled with mind crushing complexity.

Maybe it's all just above me, but from a complete beginners standpoint, this was far too difficult a first step.

I'll try to forge ahead (the author says don't get discouraged by the complex Math), but I have a feeling I will understand less and less the more I read.

I've always been particularly fascinated by electronics, circuits, and the whole realm in general, and I bought this book with the hopes of expanding that interest into a constructive hobby.

I have had basic experience with electronics in the past, and taken classes in Differential Equations, Calc 1-3, Linear Algebra, Physics, even some intro Electrical/Computer Engineering courses (all a long time ago though), but WOWee is this book complicated. It's 1300 pages and EVERY SINGLE PARAGRAPH is filled with mind crushing complexity.

Maybe it's all just above me, but from a complete beginners standpoint, this was far too difficult a first step.

I'll try to forge ahead (the author says don't get discouraged by the complex Math), but I have a feeling I will understand less and less the more I read.

Buy this book, complement it with Tietze & Schenke's book and you got a very respectable library covering semiconductor circuits. The T&S book will give you the solid circuit background on the mathematical modeling of semiconductor devices as circuit building elements and that EE's should need to consider in serious projects. This book does very well on the "intuitiveness" side of subjects but clearly lacks in providing an in-depth calculation basis on the subjects it covers. This might be OK for most uses but if you are working on mission-critical circuitry or on circuitry that must perform in extreme conditions you'll certainly need to use more math that you'll be exposed in this text.

In a nutshell, if you start with this book and then read T&S on the same subject you'll build a very solid base in EE.

It is obvious to some that this book would contain material for the design of electronics but everyone who has any interest in the subject could just as easily learn electronics by giving this a read and performing some of the practice problems. I wish this was my text book in college. The book is a very easy read as the authors keep the material light at first and build on the knowledge gained from earlier chapters. I would recommend to anyone who might be interested in the subject.

It is obvious to some that this book would contain material for the design of electronics but everyone who has any interest in the subject could just as easily learn electronics by giving this a read and performing some of the practice problems. I wish this was my text book in college. The book is a very easy read as the authors keep the material light at first and build on the knowledge gained from earlier chapters. I would recommend to anyone who might be interested in the subject.

Perhaps it is rare to review a book after 20 years of owning the 1st and then the 2nd edition. This is an invaluable book for the practicing engineer or inventor or hobbyist. It eliminates much theoretical background and gets to practical implementation. You will find a wealth of practical tips that you will never find in standard engineering textbooks. This is a reference book that I have used for many years. However I agree with the last reviewer that it is in dire need of an update. Needless to say there are 10+ years of advancing technology some of which would be valuable to included. It is still quite a useful book however. At this point, if you are a perspective buyer you may want to wait for an update.

The Art Of Electronics combines a lot of practical information about electronics that makes it a very useful reference text. I just wish they would update it. A 2007 version would probably get 5 stars.

Are you an undergraduate student preparing for your first interview with a semiconductor company? Or a graduate student who knows the complicated things but still fumbles with simple RC - RL circuit questions and how simple concepts relate to form the complex things you are conducting your research on? This book is for you.... I need not praise it any further as most of the good points can already be seen in the preceding 119 reviews. Everyone seems to love this book. If you're looking for a quick review of basic electronics, you should add this book to your library.

Those peoples who give this book four or five starts are people who already understands electronics. But very few beginners buy and use this book and so there are very few reviews from them who would give this book one or two stars. For a beginner, this book is very confusing and lacks examples and exercises with answers.

This book is great with very detailed explanations of everything, and when the theory behind ideas isn't shown there are references to other sources.

I have used this book as my text and reference book regarding my electronic circuits understanding and designing. Eventhough I have used it for several years but I always find more and more information each and everytime I read it. One thing I would like to have it improved is examples and explanation should be on the same page so that reader can refer to pictures easier. Orher than that, it has been a great book so far!

Well written and easy to read and comprehend. Emphasis is on understanding basic principles, not on detailed mathematical analysis and proofs. It was last updated more than 20 years ago, but is remarkably current. It is the textbook for the university level music technology electronics course I teach.

I've never seen anything that comes close. If you're interested in electronics as a hobby or as a career this is the book for you.

If you want to know how to design stuff that works without getting bogged down in the kind of math that gives most people the sweats, BUY THIS BOOK.

Yes, some of it is showing it's age, but even those bits have an enormous amount of clever design insights and very cool solutions to non obvious problems.

In short, whether electronics is a hobby or a career, you cannot do without this book on your shelf, preferably close at hand.

I've used this book for two quarters at ohio university in physics 272 and 273. Other than the fact that the lab courses doen't do much in the way of actual teaching, this text and it's sarcasm is awful.
It does ask a lot of questions, but as a teaching text for an introductory set of labs, it is terrible. You may think I'm just too stupid to benefit from sarcastic questions with no material in the text to answer them, but if that is the case, you are probably some nerd type that knows very little in the way of education.
I'll be selling this set of texts, which is unusual, since as a teacher, I generally keep all my texts for future reference (even my introduction to particle physics by Das, and my quantum mechanics text by Ira Levine)...save money and use google, or wikipedia you will find more detailed answers.

This book came well recommended and has not been a disappointment. It is not in the style of anything written by the ARRL for learning LRC and RF material, nor had it been presented as such.

The information is very detailed and very complete. Some areas are a little devoid of extensive material but the reader should be easily guided to finding material that will complete their education.

I found nothing that was inaccurate and that says a lot for any technical publication. It covers most of the basics and does it very well. If you are looking for extremely detailed information in any particular subject, this is not the book for you.

Do not omit this book from your library. It is a de facto standard and deserves a lot of respect.

Without doubt, this is the best single source book on the subject of electronics that has ever been written. Most publications on the subject are too technical with language hardly anyone understands.

The clear straight forward approach, written in everyday language, with a deemphpasis on mathematics, can truly take one from a novice, to a well respected professional. I know, I'm one of them.

Sincerely,
Robert K Walcott

This book came well recommended and has not been a disappointment. It is not in the style of anything written by the ARRL for learning LRC and RF material, nor had it been presented as such.

The information is very detailed and very complete. Some areas are a little devoid of extensive material but the reader should be easily guided to finding material that will complete their education.

I found nothing that was inaccurate and that says a lot for any technical publication. It covers most of the basics and does it very well. If you are looking for extremely detailed information in any particular subject, this is not the book for you.

Do not omit this book from your library. It is a de facto standard and deserves a lot of respect.

This book contains virtually everything there is to know about electronics, however it may be a bit hard to understand for beginners with no previous experience. Lots of terminology.

The book technoligy wise is a little out of date but the prinicples are still very current. I found this to put into layman terms what I was in some case having a hard time explaining to non-technical people. A very usefull and informitive aide in electronics.

This book is known as a classic among everyone, who is into electronics. That is all I need to say ;-)

Excellent inroduction for persons eager to learn how to design useful circuits and they have a background in Physics and Calculus. It is not an engineering course for elecrical engineers but it is useful for non-electrical engineering majors. Studying the text THE ART OF ELECTRONICS and the STUDENT MANUAL FOR THE ART OF ELECTRONICS someone will acquire working knowledge in electronics.

This book is very well defined with its simple understanding lay language terminology. I constantly use it at my professional buiness occupation for designs and meetings as well as for my own personal projects at home and school. I would recommend this book to anyone who is intrested in Electronics or just curious about it. I wouldn't think twice about purchasing the next version of "The Art of Electronics"

This book provides both great overviews and significant details. It is packed with useful information for both the neophyte or seasoned designer. Which I'd had this book 25 years ago!

DD

This book was first published in 1989, and although it definitely is showing its age in the later chapters on microprocessors, microcomputers, and low-power design, in that great strides have been made in these areas over the last 17 years, it is still a worthwhile purchase. It has timeless value in the first seven chapters that focus on transistors, diodes, FET, opamps, active filters and oscillators, voltage regulators and power circuits, and low-noise techniques. Some people have complained about the price, but this book manages to retain its conversational style and still explain the concepts of electronic design much better than textbooks with twice its price tag. If you are an undergraduate electrical engineering student, there probably is no subject that is quite so confusing as designing circuits with transistors and diodes given a certain set of specifications. When I was an undergrad, it seemed like only the children of TV repairmen and the most exceptional students grasped the concept as it was presented in class and in the text we had. This book made matters crystal clear through a series of well-presented straight forward examples in which nothing is left to the imagination.

Even in the later chapters involving digital design and microprocessors, the material may be dated, but the basics are still valid and the material is still worth reading. Might I also recommend "The Art of Electronics Student Manual with Exercises". It is very useful for practicing what is taught in this textbook.

I have a bookshelf full of electronics books, but this is the one that I reach for first every time. My first copy started to fall apart at the binding due to wear and tear. This is the only book that I can think of that I found so valuable that I would buy a second copy. The Art of Electronics is a highly-recommended book by this electrical engineer.

The amount of theory it's attached with a lot of circuits, and all easy to estudy and also deploy.

Some circuit displayed are the easy way to have commmon problems in the electronic's life.

its a good choice!!

Based on the biographical sketches of the authors, it was hard to believe that this book would have much more practical value than the typical skim-the-suface theoretical treatments that come from people with strong academic backgrounds.

This book is an exception, perhaps *the* exemplary exception to the rule.

Outstanding value, worth a spot on your reach-it-with-the-dominant-hand-without-getting-out-of-your-chair reference shelf. Whether you are a student, a freshly-minted wannabe engineer with a hole where you wish your experience lived, or an old rusty crusty know-it-all who hasn't re-invented a wheel in years, this book is a gem, and we can all learn a lot from time well-spent flipping through it. There is value here, not just in the hard/soft/firm/wet-ware nuggets that are scattered throughout, but from the clarity of expression and informal style of the textual presentation.

Buy one for a techy you love: (s)he'll love you right back for the gift.

Well, I guess it's been a while since I've been a college student. I'm a crusty old amateur radio hobbyist now. I guess all college texts have ridiculous prices. This book used to be the best reference I've ever seen on basic electronics for non-EE's, and even for non-engineers. It's not much of a cookbook - instead, it will make you sit down and work through the fundamentals of the circuits you're designing or adapting. The second ed. is getting long in the tooth, and since the book is used as a college text, it's preposterously overpriced. The one terrible thing about the book is that there are no answers to the (otherwise excellent) exercises, and you have to pay out again to get answers to the questions you're not sure about. It will be interesting to see what the 3rd ed. looks like. Maybe I'll start a web site and publish the answers online.

This is a book that belongs on the desk of every working
engineer who designs electronic products. It's an
essential reference to all the "stuff I learned once
and forgot", as well as an enjoyable read. It's not going
to be much help to a student trying to study for a high-end
college course, but the truth is that nearly all of that
complex math is utterly unused out here in the trenches. The
fundamental "rules of thumb" and "bag of tricks" focus that
AofE has is exactly what we really use when designing most
of the products that people use in daily life.

Some reviewers fault the lightweight treatment of complex
topics or the simplification of certain aspects of electronics.
If that's your big concern, then a more complex and rigorous
treatment would be a better choice. If you just want to learn
about electronics, and have a good reference on your desk to
check up on things while designing, then this is it.

Most, if not all, general electronics textbooks start from basic principles such as circuit analysis and low-level components (RLCs, semiconductor physics, etc) before briefly covering system design. Unfortunately, such texts drown readers in (mostly) useless theory and math that most engineers will never use.

Modern technology has progressed to the point that no one can know or possibly understand all of the details- so why even bother being exposed to something you'll instantly forget? In this day and age, when only a minority of design engineers actually design at the transistor-level and most engineers are system-engineers (designing at the IC datasheet level), a new approach is needed: ideally, a general electronics textbook should START by explaining electronic systems at the high, conceptual-level, before working down to the functional block and transistor-level. At minimum, it should explain how to interpret IC datasheet spec.s and how to properly "hook" chips together. (Instead, textbooks start with the gory details of pn junctions, etc. instead of first explaining the applications of a transistor as a switch or amplifier and then constrasting BJTs vs FETs; and only then going into the low-level device physics.)

"Art of Electronics" isn't that book, but it's certainly a good step in that direction. Unfortunately, AOE also starts from low-level details before working up to applications- however, even though the 2nd edition was published way back in 1989, it's still used today because it minimizes the math while emphasizing the practical aspects of electronic design. AOE isn't intuitive or conceptual enough for electronic newbies, but it certainly deserves its reputation as one of the best electronic reference books/intermediate texts around. My main beef with AOE is that its encylopediac coverage means that basic concepts aren't emphasized as much as I would like. (In many ways, the Student Manual for AOE is better in this respect.) Also, due to its age, there are many obsolete sections and hot issues of today like signal integrity that are barely touched upon...

By the way, the long-awaited 3rd edition won't be available for at least a year (according to one of the authors) despite one of the reviews below.

This is a review of the Student Manual for the Art of Electronics- for quite some time, Amazon has not been showing separate reviews of the two books (the other being Art of Electronics) even though they are very different works.

The Student Manual is by Hayes and Horowitz, not Horowitz and Hill. It features a much more student-friendly approach (lots of figures and "hand-drawn" diagrams) than "Art of Electronics"- frankly, I use Art of Electronics as a reference, but when I want to refresh myself on basic concepts, I consult the Student Manual.

I'm not giving this 5-stars, though, because I don't think it's quite good or thorough enough to be a stand-alone textbook for electronic-newbies.

This book is way overated. Its way-out, wacky treament of electronics could definitely not be that of any well thought-of engineer. It's frankly just a bunch of goofy unsystematic mumbo-jumbo by some over-educated self-proclaimed "physicists." So imagine my surprise when I read a translation of this in Russian. I think the whole world must have been fooled. Do yourself a favor. Go read the Smith book (see my other reviews) and avoid this one like the plague.

This book is way overated. Its way-out, wacky treament of electronics could definitely not that of any well thought-of engineer. It's frankly just a bunch of goofy unsystematic mumbo-jumbo by some over-educated self-proclaimed "physicists." So image my surprise when I read a translation of this in Russian. I think the whole world must have been fooled. Do yourself a favor. Go read the Smith book and avoid this one like the plague.

This book is overated. Its treament of electronics is definitely not by an engineer. It's just a bunch of goofy unsystematic mumbo-jumbo by some over-educated "physicists." Image my surprise when I read a translation of this in Russian. I think the whole world must have been fooled. Do yourself a favor. Go read the Smith book and avoid this one like the plague.

Looks like the 3rd edition will be released very soon. Probably worth waiting for, since the 2nd edition was released 17 years ago, and the state of the art in electronics is a moving target.

A brilliant and lucid text that supplies enough theory over a wide range of topics, but also manages at the same time to emphasise the practical application of devices and circuit ideas. Worked examples and useful data support this enabling book.

This is the best book on basic electronics out there. I have quite a few and wish I found this one sooner. It dosent cover everything but it covers enough to be usefull as a good desk referance and general idea genarator.

I pity the students who have to actually learn elecronics from this textbook. The text "assumes you have no prior knowledge of electronics" while "trying to keep the math to a minimum". Although the theory behind this is to create an intuitive understanding of circuit behavior, in practice it fails abyssmally if you are a beginner with little to no understanding of electronics. Here is an overview of the first chapter:

-Omh's law is introduced in the second section, but the first example is not until the third section (voltage dividors). At this point the author expects you to be able to find the voltage and current in any part of any circuit, however complicated, consisting of batteries and resistors. Many readers at this point will not even understand that voltage is measured "across" two points whereas current is measured "through" two points.

-The next section (section 4 if you are keeping track) explains voltage and current sources. Although the author does not give any examples of current sources, he is gracious enough to mention that a battery is a voltage source (most readers can figure this out on their own since batteries are classified by their voltages).

-Section five (this is still the first chapter) is on Thevenin's theorem. A short list of formulas is followed by an example which is not worked out along with its resultant diagram. If you can understand Thevenin's theorem from this section then you really don't belong in an introductory electronics course. If you are like most students, your professor would likely have assigned problems of their own creation that you have no clue how to complete (did I mention that this textbook has almost no exercises to work?).

-The rest of the chapter deals with topics such as Zener diodes, signal waveforms, differentiator circuits, and rectifiers. This is far too advanced for the student who barely understands Kirchoff's Laws (which are given a few paragraphs on page 3).

The problem with this book is that the author cannot bring himself down to a level where neophytes can grasp what he is trying to explain. The lack of examples and exercises reminds the reader of a professor who simply likes to hear himself talk and doesn't care that his students are lost and confused. (This reminds me of another book, "Introduction to Electrodynamics" by Griffiths, which I despise for the same reason).

My electronics professor took one look at this book (which was required for my course) and has never picked it up again. He highly recommended "Circuits, Devices, and Systems" by Smith and Dorf.

I give this book two stars because, as a reference book for an experienced electrical engineer, it is filled with very good information, diagrams, and charts. As a textbook I could not dislike it more.

Item price and delivery were excellent.

This is an impressive and detailed book 1100 pages of electronics circuits, diagram, and tips. If you started at the beginning and worked your way through chapter by chapter it would be similar to taking a complete course on electronics. It has 15 chapters plus a large appendix.

For example the early chapters are basic introductions that quickly graduate to transistors and circuits progressing through to switches and linear circuits. By chapter 5 they proceed to filters then on to power supplies and regulators, and special amplifiers and shielding. Then they make a transition to digital circuits midway through the book, then again using that as a basis to make the next step to microcomputers by chapter 10. That continues to chapter 13 where the subject turns to RF and microwaves. The book ends with examples of measurement. So all in all it is a step by step review from simple voltage sources through computers to RF with many examples. It is all easy to read and quite clear. The book is not designed for a novice but probably better someone in the field and needs a refresher or one excellent reference source.

Having graduated EE more than a few years ago I need a quick reference in the office where I can refresh my memory or design something new, or see what if any new developments are available.

To make a long story short, as a user I do use the book but as a reference. When you first get the book do a quick read to get a general understanding and then go back to the book as required. The book is an excellent addition to any technical reference library. It is worth the cost, no brainer.

Four or five stars.

Industrial user.

This is THE BIBLE for electronics

If you only buy one textbook, this is the one.

It has taken me years to buy it (I kept borrowing other peoples) but finaly got my own copy.

Note to no US readers: many of the circuits assume 60Hz mains and use it for timing etc. but all the math is there to support.

I have used this book in the book stores while pursuing my BSEE. Now I am finishing my Junior year and finally decided to purchase the set. So far this semester, I have used this book as a reference for Digitals, Linear circuits, RF, signals and systems and much more. It is truly amazing how much this book covers. I am a TA in an electronics lab and am using this as the reference for test equipment procedures since my school doesn't have one. As a retired signal and radar technician from the Army I am happy to have found a resource that says it all.

For me as an aeronautical engineer I found in this book all what I need about electronics from basic level up to most advanced complicated circuits, this reference book is helpful for all levels of students and engineers focusing the same scoop, it is indeed a nice one to have it.

This is a great book for anyone who loves electronics.The book has a ton of information on how to design circuits, characteristic of components,how circuit's act,how to build them,don't be surprise when you can take advantage of the wealth of information to build your own radio.I would recommend this book to any one who has a background in electronics,but not to anyone who don't have any knowledge of electronic's.This book by far has to much information for the average person to handle.I suggest to anyone who want's to get started in electronics,go to class first.Get acquainted with electronic test equipment,do ton's of problems associated with ohm's law,know how to experiment.Then buy this book.But to the new person,don't buy this book to get started in electronic,do class first,then buy the book.