Electrical Properties of Materials

I read this book for the first time in the university book store when shopping for a class. I ended up not taking the class, but the style was so accessible that I got a copy of the text anyway. It isn't a rigorous text as noted by another reviewer, however that reviewer I believe missed the point of the text completely. Somewhere I recall the audience was suggested to be 2nd year college student. Electrical Engineers rarely have had quantum mechanics by that point, if they take it at all. A course our of Kittel, Ashcroft and Mermin or similar would be needed first to truly be rigorous. The class that covers many of the topics in this book is a 400 level class at Cornell, one that assumes both solid state, and quantum as previous courses. Clearly no book that starts with what an electron is will get to how a superconductor in so few pages, in a rigorous manner. No the point of this text is to introduce some rules and wave ones hands a bit to see why they should be true. While a greater number of rules and postulates may be less satisfying to some, it can be ever bit as useful if you can remember them all. Solymar and Walsh do this. Not flawlessly, but in a text that is readable. Readability is important. This book is readable in the sense that Feynman's books are. The book is good for someone in another field or as a basic intro, as long as you understand you are getting a sketch. Sketches are useful, this book is also. Recommended.

This work demonstrates that scientists are people too! Solymar and Walsh offer a survey of a difficult subject in a manner that is easy to follow, and sometimes funny. The quantum mechanics of electronics are explained in sufficient depth to be useful, but not overdone enough to be boring. I especially loved the section on superconductivity! The book offer may not be the most in-depth on individual subjects, but it presents each subject in a clear, understandable way. Wonderful for the student.