Electromagnetic Field, The
by: Albert Shadowitz
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Directed to advanced undergraduates in physics or electrical engineering, this comprehensive text covers electric and magnetic fields, electromagnetic theory and related topics including relativity. Each section includes worked examples and 15 to 25 problems. (Solutions for odd-number problems only.) Reprint of 1975 ed.
Reviews:
Outstanding example of good pedagogy: Most EM texts out there are overpriced and underwritten. They use color drawings and shiny, glossy pages to make up for lack of content. Shadowitz's book is the exact opposite: it's a dover edition, which means it's cheap and doesn't look as good. But this is one of those cases in which you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Shadowitz is everything a serious student would like: it covers 1st/2nd year electromagnetism with great detail. It covers many topics, from basic electrostatics and vector analysis, to radiation theory and special relativity. The explanations are always kept clear. A physical context is always provided. Many solved examples are scattered throughout the text. The problems are instructive and odd-numbered ones have solutions at the end of the book. I simply cannot feel sorry that not all books are as good as this one. Although with most Dover books you get what you pay for (which isn't much), this book is an exception. Even if you're studying advanced EM and are using, say, Jackson's text, Shadowitz's text makes a great companion. I have a few minor quibbles with the book, mainly its use of SI units, but Shadowitz provides appendices which explain how to convert between the various systems.
When it comes to a Junior-Senior textbook on electromagnetism, electrical engineers and physicists will want a different approach. However, electronics engineering is close to physics and this book comes close to pleasing both groups. Probably the best book on EM theory for electronics engineers is "Fields and Waves in Communication Electronics" by Ramo, Whinnery, and van Duzer. Ramo is the R in the company called TRW. Nonetheless, Shadowitz covers the basics of an EM text for electonics engineers, for example, transmission lines, waveguides, and antenna radiation. Sprinkled throughout the text are interesting tidbits of theoretical physics. The book is in SI units, but he adequately informs the reader about esu and emu units, a discussion of which seems to have become unfortunately banned at some American colleges.