An Engineering Data Book

An Engineering Data Book

Authors: J. Roger Calvert and Roy A. Farrar

Edition: Third

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Pages: 112

Price: £12.99

ISBN 9780230220331

To a multidisciplinary engineer, this book presents many familiar and useful formulae and much data in a compact, accessible format. For anyone involved regularly in analytical engineering design or occasional "outside-of-specialism" troubleshooting, it could indeed be a handy reference.

But in this era of easily accessible internet data, computer models and the usual compartmentalisation of engineering disciplines, it is hard to imagine a mass market for this book. For example, a chart of pipe friction factors is faced by the block diagram reduction of standard transfer functions. There cannot be too many engineers who would regularly use both of these. In short, it isn't specialised enough for any one discipline and contains a lot of probably irrelevant data for most practising engineers.

It is a fine example of its genre, but one might need to consider its relevance before forking out £13. However, this is the third edition, so perhaps we engineers do like the security and certainty of such data on our bookshelves. Actually, I think I could find a space for it on my bookshelf alongside all the other dust-covered tomes.

Who is it for? Engineers and scientists who need quick access to this sort of information.

Presentation: Clear, logical, comprehensive and well indexed.

Would I recommend it? Yes, if you have a use for it then it is as good as this type of book gets.