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Vacuum-tube circuits and transistors
I74
BOOK R E V I E W S
transoceanic and long distance wireless communications could develop. Six years later he conceived the superheterodyne which, although not as fundamentally important, became the heart of the modern radio. This was the prelude to a nightmarish existence in which the industry began to resemble a hill of demented ants, with agreements, suits, and countersuits over the 2000 patents t h a t had grown up like weeds about the wireless art. Armstrong became involved in years of litigation, either in defense of his own patents or in attacking the patents of others. Mr. Lessing has waded patiently through the mass of testimony in these cases in order to present an accurate picture of the embattled Armstrong, and he illuminates the proceedings with incisive and sensitive comments, presumably based upon Armstrong's private papers. Throughout the whole bitter controversy the author is conscious of his subject's character, his pride, stubbornness, and secrecy. By his invention of frequency modulation, Armstrong showed himself to be a more precise mathematical thinker in terms of the physical concepts underlying mathematics than anyone had suspected, but he lacked the ability to see or to elaborate the mathematical consequences of his ideas. He was occupied from 1928 to 1933 in getting F M into working order. This was a task of extraordinary complexity which only a man of his unique combination of qualities could have accomplished. Then came the inertia of industry, which failed completely to appreciate the value of his invention or, appreciating it, would not take advantage of it. The situation is described a t length by the author with sYmpathy and understanding. Mr. Lessing had set himself a difficult task, for he had to deal with a difficult man. Armstrong was almost monolithic in his inflexibility; he did not suffer fools or injustices gladly, a§ the author notes. Life would have been much easier for him had he been more adaptable, but he refused to compromise. The author has handled his materials with skill and has the ability to invest with interest a narrative t h a t could easily have been tedious. He has treated his subject so deftly t h a t no reader will lay down the volume without feeling t h a t a great man was pursued to a tragic end t h a t was both undeserved and unnecessary. T. C o . s o N
[J. F. I.
VACUuM-TuBE CIRCUITS AND TRANSISTORS, by L. B. Arguimbau and R. B. Adler. Second edition, 646 pages, diagrams, 6 X 9 in. New York, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1956. Price, $10.25. Since it first appeared in 1948, Arguimbau's Vacuum Tube Circuits has achieved a considerable recognition as an excellent text in its field. The material in t h a t book has been revised and brought up to date in this new edition, with no major changes in the material on vacuum tube circuits. An apparent condensation, suggested by the fewer number of pages in most chapters of the new edition is illusory ; the new book is of larger page dimensions, so t h a t there are more words per page. There have been some minor rearrangements; noise has been accorded a chapter of its own ; the chapter on television has been expanded by the inclusion of material on color television; the chapter on microwaves has been modified and retitled "Transit Time." Problems have been revised, rearranged and supplemented; figures have been redrawn with improved clarity; and references to recent literature have been added. All these revisions are likely to increase the value and reputation of the book, but they are just the sort of revisions we would have expected. The noteworthy change is the addition of material on transistors, by R. B. Adler. There are two full length chapters on the principles of transistors and transistor linear amplifiers that are models of lucid expository writing, and a pleasure to read. Although they are inserted in the plan of the book as chapters IV and V, they are essentially independent material, and can be read without reference to the rest of the text. In the later chapters sections on transistor applications in tuned amplifiers, power amplifiers, and oscillators, and on noise in transistors are inserted where appropriate. The book which has resulted from the cooperation of these two authors is certainly a well balanced and useful addition to the engineering literature. A . C . BYERS ENGINEERING ANALYSIS, by Stephen H. Crandall. 417 pages, diagrams, 6 X 9 in. New York, McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc., 1956. Price, $9.50. In order to utilize the marvelous new computing facilities now available to the
BOOK R E V I E W S
transoceanic and long distance wireless communications could develop. Six years later he conceived the superheterodyne which, although not as fundamentally important, became the heart of the modern radio. This was the prelude to a nightmarish existence in which the industry began to resemble a hill of demented ants, with agreements, suits, and countersuits over the 2000 patents t h a t had grown up like weeds about the wireless art. Armstrong became involved in years of litigation, either in defense of his own patents or in attacking the patents of others. Mr. Lessing has waded patiently through the mass of testimony in these cases in order to present an accurate picture of the embattled Armstrong, and he illuminates the proceedings with incisive and sensitive comments, presumably based upon Armstrong's private papers. Throughout the whole bitter controversy the author is conscious of his subject's character, his pride, stubbornness, and secrecy. By his invention of frequency modulation, Armstrong showed himself to be a more precise mathematical thinker in terms of the physical concepts underlying mathematics than anyone had suspected, but he lacked the ability to see or to elaborate the mathematical consequences of his ideas. He was occupied from 1928 to 1933 in getting F M into working order. This was a task of extraordinary complexity which only a man of his unique combination of qualities could have accomplished. Then came the inertia of industry, which failed completely to appreciate the value of his invention or, appreciating it, would not take advantage of it. The situation is described a t length by the author with sYmpathy and understanding. Mr. Lessing had set himself a difficult task, for he had to deal with a difficult man. Armstrong was almost monolithic in his inflexibility; he did not suffer fools or injustices gladly, a§ the author notes. Life would have been much easier for him had he been more adaptable, but he refused to compromise. The author has handled his materials with skill and has the ability to invest with interest a narrative t h a t could easily have been tedious. He has treated his subject so deftly t h a t no reader will lay down the volume without feeling t h a t a great man was pursued to a tragic end t h a t was both undeserved and unnecessary. T. C o . s o N
[J. F. I.
VACUuM-TuBE CIRCUITS AND TRANSISTORS, by L. B. Arguimbau and R. B. Adler. Second edition, 646 pages, diagrams, 6 X 9 in. New York, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1956. Price, $10.25. Since it first appeared in 1948, Arguimbau's Vacuum Tube Circuits has achieved a considerable recognition as an excellent text in its field. The material in t h a t book has been revised and brought up to date in this new edition, with no major changes in the material on vacuum tube circuits. An apparent condensation, suggested by the fewer number of pages in most chapters of the new edition is illusory ; the new book is of larger page dimensions, so t h a t there are more words per page. There have been some minor rearrangements; noise has been accorded a chapter of its own ; the chapter on television has been expanded by the inclusion of material on color television; the chapter on microwaves has been modified and retitled "Transit Time." Problems have been revised, rearranged and supplemented; figures have been redrawn with improved clarity; and references to recent literature have been added. All these revisions are likely to increase the value and reputation of the book, but they are just the sort of revisions we would have expected. The noteworthy change is the addition of material on transistors, by R. B. Adler. There are two full length chapters on the principles of transistors and transistor linear amplifiers that are models of lucid expository writing, and a pleasure to read. Although they are inserted in the plan of the book as chapters IV and V, they are essentially independent material, and can be read without reference to the rest of the text. In the later chapters sections on transistor applications in tuned amplifiers, power amplifiers, and oscillators, and on noise in transistors are inserted where appropriate. The book which has resulted from the cooperation of these two authors is certainly a well balanced and useful addition to the engineering literature. A . C . BYERS ENGINEERING ANALYSIS, by Stephen H. Crandall. 417 pages, diagrams, 6 X 9 in. New York, McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc., 1956. Price, $9.50. In order to utilize the marvelous new computing facilities now available to the