No comments about Resolution Enhancement Techniques in Optical Lithography (SPIE Tutorial Texts in Optical Engineering Vol. TT47).

3 comments about The Principles of Nonlinear Optics (Wiley Classics Library).

1. This book is simply not very helpful as a textbook or as a reference. Shen seems to want to create a catalog of all nonlinear phenomena. He gives both too much (mathematical) and too little (practical) information on each subject. The mathematics does not really go beyond Bloembergen's little book.



2. This book can be best appreciated when one already has a basic understanding of nonlinear optics, and wants to go beyond some hand waving pictures to delve into maths and subtleties behind the phenomena. That is, if you are just a nonexpert who wants to know what nonlinear optics is, this book might not be the one for you. But if you are a serious physics student who works in nonlinear optics or atomic physics, it's a good reference book.



3. This book is best for physics students. Boyd's book is a good starting point. Shen's book offers a lot more physics insight.

No comments about Near-Field Nano-Optics: From Basic Principles to Nano-Fabrication and Nano-Photonics (Lasers, Photonics, and Electro-Optics).

No comments about Surface Plasmon Nanophotonics (Springer Series in Optical Sciences).

3 comments about Compact and Broadband Microstrip Antennas.

1. Not bad if you are just looking for a large collection of different types of patch antennas at a set frequency. This is a book for someone wanting to see what exists with references. It is not a book for those that want equations for the design of these antennas. You will need to find the reference and go find the design equations. The antennas size and performance info is realized for a set frequency.



2. This book is a collection of patch antennas for different kinds of applications. It is mainly based on the research of the author's research group. In my opinion it is a very valuable first source for antenna designers looking for a patch antenna toplogy to start their design. I have used some of these designs as a starting point for my own designs. It is too bad these 'collection books' aren't frequently published.



3. The book is very practical. Design examples are detailed and well explained.

1 comments about Optics: Learning by Computing, with Examples Using Maple, MathCad®, Matlab®, Mathematica®, and Maple® (Undergraduate Texts in Contemporary Physics).

1. Traditionally, optics was often taught using a lab. Where you had an optical bench, replete with many elements like prisms, beam splitters, waveguides etc. If possible, you really should learn optics in a hands-on way like that.
   
   But suppose now you have a class in optics. There are customary texts for this, like Optics (4th Edition). But this new book takes a different approach. In essence, it offers a simulated optical bench. Using the power of a commonly affordable personal computer. Along with an impressive set of math packages. The book plays no favourites amongst these, in order to maximise its readership. Moeller is to be commended for this ecumenical approach.
   
   Now, you can tweak numerous parameters within setups inside the packages, and see the results. Yeah, it is all simulated. But if it is the concepts you need, then you can grasp them in the book's manner. Another consideration is that not every university can necessarily afford the optical lab. Or imagine a reader studying this subject at home. So in these cases, the book is also a boon.

4 comments about Seeing Double.

1. Over 200 illusions and examples of mind-bending tricks are included in Seeing Double, an enthusiastically recommended guide which tricks the eye into seeing two different images of each selection - and never at the same time. These are hand-drawn renderings both antique and contemporary taken from around the world, providing both well-known and unusual images from double illusions and ambiguous images to puzzles. A treasure trove of mind-challenging sights.



2. I ordered this book for my husband and he truly loves it!! The book arrived in great condition (packaging was perfect!) I enjoy ordering from Amazon for this reason (plus the price is great, too!!) Thanks.



3. This book is plenty of fun. It begins with images that can be seen in two ways depending on what you regard as the background. Next are multiple figures that share contours, where the background is not the key to the ambiguity. Then we have a short chapter where you see different figures depending on whether you look at the left-hand or right-hand part of the image. After that come some rather famous images that are composed of several smaller images.
   
   The chapter I liked the best was about images that change into related images when you turn the book upside down. This includes four of the famous Gustav Verbeek "Muffaroo and Lovekins" cartoon strips (written in 1903 and 1904). And the book concludes with a variety of other illusions.
   
   I was surprised that it is so easy to produce interesting illusions. But I don't want to take anything away from the artists: what they created shows terrific imagination and talent.



4. This is the second book on visual illusions by J Richard Block, the author, after his earlier book entitled 'Can You Believe Your Eyes'. Both are printed in large format. In fact, there is also a card deck which amplifies the earlier book.
   
   Both books discussed the phenomena of human perception through hundreds of perplexing visual illusions & mind-bending eye tricks gathered from around the world.
   
   The entire collection in the two books is definitely amazing and unique in some way.
   
   The best learning experiences I got out of these two wonderful books are a greater understanding - & appreciation - of how the brain really works. I often use many of the visual illusions to demonstrate the principal operating principles of the brain, particularly the salient aspects of selective recognition and patterning. I have also found that some of them have been very useful in demonstrating cognitive traps & pattern interrupts, especially in the context of personal creativity.
   
   Although the visual illusions are fun to play with, I find them very educational, just as what I have elaborated.
   
   There is another type of visual illusions, known as random dot stereograms (some people call them 3D visual illusions), which are more fun but somewhat harder to play with. Nevertheless, they are also very educational, especially in understanding - & appreciating - how the brain really works!

5 comments about Light and Color in the Outdoors (Light & Color in the Outdoors).

1. One of the most phenomenal books I've ever seen. This book describes and explains in very easily read prose, the complex visual phenomena of the natural world. It is almost a meditation on the natural world outdoors. I read it often not just as a reference. Be sure to read the introduction to the work. An excellent buy--I have purchased five copies over the years as gifts.



2. This deeply perceptive book changes our own perceptions of all kinds of light and color events in the outdoors. You will never see the same way again outdoors. Some examples involve elementary optics (which explain the visual phenomena) but nearly all the 278 short chapters can be appreciated by the visually alert reader. My favorite examples include dappled light, rainbows (there are always two), and differences between relected and transmitted light in seeing leaves and grass. The Dover edition is fine; the Springer-Verlag edition is better with its excellent color photographs.



3. Prior to reading this book, communicating a love of and appreciation for the outdoor experience of natural phenomena was often frustrating. This book has provided me with a new lexicon that helps me bridge the gap between intuition and the elementary physics of the first-hand viewing perspective. At times there are sections that are a bit of a slog (e.g. the revelation of the nuances of viewing a scene through pane vs. plate glass) but that criticism is more than balanced by many excellent observations and curious examinations of the changing relationships between the observer and the scene viewed. After reading this book, I have embarked on reviewing many of the photos that I have taken in my travels. I have been astonished by the number details that had escaped me (and for which I had zero appreciation) prior to reading Minnaert's book. One of the techniques I have used extensively is viewing inverted digital photographs of panoramic scenes reflected in water using image editing software. The fact that the reflected scene is viewed from the perspective of an underwater observer (buy the book for a full explanation) is a relevation that provided me with some good natured fun at the expense of disorienting a friend when I inverted a photograph of lake scene from a hiking (or SCUBA diving?) trip to Alaska.



4. This book is an excellent resource for anybody interested in the nature of light involved phenomena and atmospheric optics.



5. this book very important to who's want to understand better in photography. it is importatnt becuase to expousre correctly it must to understand behind

2 comments about The Art and Science of Optical Design.

1. This book coves the subject of optical design in detail. The content is good, and comprehensive. However, the material is not well organized. Some of the material is too theoretical, and not related to practical problems.



2. The book covers a topic badly in need of a comprehensive text. This book seems to be a dump of information by the author with no successful attempt to organize it well. Large blocks of text with no subheadings and inadequate figures make the material confusing to someone who does not understand the material beforehand. References to radiometry are a disaster. In one paragraph on page 95 there are no less than five separate mistakes. The confusion between radiance and irradiance is total. On the other hand, in the absence of any other text, the book is a valuable and complete reference on the use of ray-trace analysis in optical design.

5 comments about Geometric, Physical, and Visual Optics.

1. The Best Damn Geometric Optics Book I've ever read. And the author is a hell of a nice guy!

   Love,

   Matt H. Gene F. Mike B.




2. Dr. Keating has done an excellent job of putting his lectures into words. There is no better way to learn optics than to attend lectures, but if you can't, the next best thing is this book. As one of Dr. Keating's students, I can say that he wrote this book for students, keeping in mind that most of us have no clue about optics. He provides tons of examples along with complete explanations. I don't know how he does it...but Dr. Keating has made optics fun for me, and all of my friends!!!!!!



3. The book is well written in the sense for people who want to have fundamental knowledge on optics in the sense of vision and image from human eyes. It also provides abundant infromation on the basics that help people from either engineering or medical background.



4. When learning geometric optics, one usually learns concepts and equations using ordinary algebra. In this text, linear algebra is used. It gives the reader another way to manipulate problems than typically used. Highly recommended!



5. The book has all of the information you need, with hand drawn diagrams. The author goes to great pains to thoroughly explain each concept. For the price, I would have expected a professional artist, with color pages and better paper quality, but when all is said and done, the author is good at explaining the concepts.