Electronic Principles Reviews

"Excellent book on analog electronics
I used this book extensivley as a practising electronics engineer. If you don't like this book, you won't like any book ever written or to be written. This book helped me get a patent! Believe it or not."

"A must-have book for anyone who wants to learn electronics
After several attempts in the early '80s to get into electronics (which included reading several electronics books and enrollment in a correspondence course for electronics technician), I was in a world of hurting and frustration trying to make sense of what I was reading and learning in electronics. Then, one day I happened to catch a glimpse of the textbook of one of the students of an electronics school in San Francisco in 1984. It read "Electronic Principles."

I hurriedly went to the closest bookstore downtown and purchased one. I didn't even know about this book, but it was a risk I had to take. I just wanted to learn electronics. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. Because of Dr. Malvino's book, a whole new world of electronics opened up in front of my eyes. That book was so easy to understand and the numerous examples, diagrams, and troubleshooting problems and tips only reinforced the learning process. I have never read a book that explained the theory on transistors like this book has done; a truly remarkable, detailed, yet crystal clear explanation of operation and design of transistor circuits. The knowledge that I acquired from reading this outstanding book, helped me in my career in the military (mechanical maintenance which included some electrical and electronics systems) for the next twenty something years.

Without this book, I would not have pursued such a strong interest in electronics. My most sincere gratitude to you, Dr. Malvino. I still have that 3rd edition on my book shelf, always ready for quick reference. Now that I am about to retire from the military, what would be a better way to enjoy retirement than rekindle my electronics interest. Yes, I had to buy a more updated edition of Dr. Malvino's Electronic Principles book: the 6th edition. As I expected, this book made the mark. Like my old trusty, 3rd edition, it is very easy to understand, and it just makes you want to keep on reading it. An advice for anyone who wants to learn and enjoy electronics without brain torture: Get one of Dr. Malvino's "Electronic Principles" books, and read and learn it by heart. You will not get disappointed."

"Perhaps the best textbook I've ever seen on any subject
I'm just teaching myself electronics in order to be able to understand and design circuits for musical analog synthesizers, a new hobby I took up a few months ago. As an engineering professor (albeit, thankfully, in a totally unrelated field) I have access to an excellent university library, and I checked out a bunch of basic textbooks on electronics, including Malvino's 3rd edition (1984). This book absolutely blows me away. Anyone who works through this book from cover to cover will learn electronics, almost in spite of himself! I started by trying to work through Horowitz and Hill, but I just wasn't getting it. Then I went back to Grob to brush up on some basics (most importantly, dc and ac theory, reactance vs resistance in particular), and then graduated on to Malvino.

Everything which is unclear in any book you've ever read on electronics is rendered clear and simple in Malvino. The chapters on biasing transistors and coupling and designing simple transistor amplifiers stand out for me in particular for taking a subject which is typically only glossed over in other books and breaking it down to its basic fundamentals, each step illustrated by a nice example, and reinforced with several back-of-chapter problems (with answers to the odd-numbered ones provided in the back of the book -- how about that, Horowitz and Hill?!?!? -- what good are practice problems if you don't know whether you obtained the right answer or not?!?!?).

I can't really speak to the latest edition, but if its anything like the 3rd, then buy it without hesitation! I only wish that the textbooks I have to use in my own classes were written half as well."

"This is a really amazing introduction to analog design...
It does not dwell into all the mathematics, but it gives you a really good intuitive understanding of all the major subjects of analog electronics. This is surely one of the best books to get started with. This author also has another book on the digital side which is also amazing. It tells you how computers work."

"Can't find a better book than this to understand electronic fundamentals !!!!...
First off, I already had graduated with an AAS degree in electronics technology before I got this book. A relative loaned it to me after I graduated. I was amazed at how much more electronics made sense to me after I read this. I thought I had a good foundation, but my school really only touched on some principles, and had us memorize equations. Dr. Malvino does as excellent job of covering all the fundamentals, and in a way that makes perfect sense. You name it; transistors, op amps, FETs, filters, etc.; they all made perfect sense to me after I read this book. I could actually understand how all those equations I learned were derived, and why electronic devices function the way they do. Thanks to Dr. Malvino's book, I can say I actually understand electronics, something my schooling didn't do for me."

"I still use Malvino twenty-plus years later...
Electronic Principles, Second Edition, was my textbook in college in the late-70's/early 80's. It was great then, and it's great now. I updated my library with the Seventh Edition a few years ago and I feel just as rewarded as I had when I first learned the subject through the Second. I design electronic circuits sporadically -- I'm mainly a programmer and writer by trade -- and I need periodic reminders of the theory and math involved in designing and solving circuits. Malvino was and continues to be my main source, along with The Art of Electronics by Horowitz and Hill and Calculus for Electronics by Richmond. Thank you, Dr. Malvino!"

Electronic Principles > Reviews 1 (go to: 2 > 3 > 4)

Top

What Readers Are Saying about Electronic Principles