Customer Reviews

IC Op-Amp Cookbook (3rd Edition)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm holding in my hand a copy of the third edition of Mr. Jung's book, the "IC Op-Amp Cookbook." It just arrived from Amazon.

As an earlier reviewer has pointed out, the printing quality is very poor, particularly in the diagrams. Characters printed in smaller font sizes have a tendency to fill in with ink, so that digits like "8" or letters like "d" tend to be nothing but little blobs. ("Vcc" tends to look like "V**".) The manufacturers' datasheets in the back of the book are nearly unreadable. ("1*00 -- is that number 1500, 1600, 1900 ?") Even in parts of the book printed in larger type, the effect of the edge-bleed is to make reading a painful experience.

So, I am returning the book to Amazon. Based on Mr. Lopez's comments this is clearly not an isolated case of a bad print run. I don't believe (as Mr. Jung implies) that the Lopez review is based on some kind of illegal photocopy.

I've owned both of the previous editions of Mr. Jung's fine book on op amps, and I've very disappointed in what the publisher has done to the third edition. Prentice Hall, shame on you.

I want to confirm what others have said about the 3rd edition. The print is not great. I should be clear that so far, I haven't seen anything that was so bad that couldn't eventually make out the text (in context), but I shouldn't have to squint and stare.
Yes, this copy is brand new direct from Amazon.
If the good Walter Jung comes back here, I want to recommend that he not use the small bold print, which is the worst. ex: pg.12 "Summary of Summing-Inverter Characteristics" is pretty much a squiggly black blob. Fig 1.9 has unreadable bold text, etc. Finally, the spec sheets are useful I'm sure, but not if they're not readable.
I hope Jung chews out Prentice hall for this mess, and that the 4th edition is better.

Excellect description of op amps and application circuits. Gets detailed enough to keep you out of trouble, but not so detailed that you can't follow what's going on. The books main weakness is that it does not cover active filter design.

The information is there, but, the print is hardly readable, it is blurred and appears to be a copy of a copy and then reprinted.
A shame. I would suggest not purchasing this book due to the above issue with the print quality.

This book has it all. Not too complex where you need calculus but a good understanding of algebra is helpful. The book covers all the details of parasitic variations not just the typical applications of using Op-Amps. A must for those that design circuits using Op-Amps.

I've had the 1974 first printing for 35 years from Howard W. Sams and I confirm that the objectionable bold-print problem reported by George Wang et. al., existed then, though his page 12 was then page 20, figure 1.9 then on page 24 is a little blurry but quite legible and my copy has 15-pages on active-filters in two-sections, someone mentioned that the third-edition has none (?). In 1974 my copy included 591 pages for $12.95 at Pioneer-Standard Electronics in Akron, OH. It appears "to me" that perhaps Howard W. Sams & Co., inc. sold the "defective" master-plates or whatever to Prentice Hall with no changes in 35-years. There is nothing in the First Printing that I cannot read but I have had a lot of practice. I was reading the reviews to help me decide if I "need" a copy of the third edition ... I still don't know what the third edition has that the first-printing does not. It is always an educational experience ... somehow.

I liked the level of detail contained in this book, it has all the details and covers a variety of types of op-amps. I noticed the back cover shows the price as $24.95 and would buy it for that price but not for $45.00 as currently offered.