Books about Electronics

Books for Studying Electronics

The table below shows a selection of books about electronics which may be of interest if you are studying electronics as part of a course at school, or if you have been building projects and wish to learn how the circuits work. Some of the project books explain the operation of their circuits and this can be a good way to learn how they work.

Please note that some books are now out of print but you may still be able to obtain them from secondhand bookshops and suppliers such as Amazon.

Textbooks Books for beginners, GCSE courses and AS/A level courses.
Book Title and Author	ISBN and Publisher	Comments
Basic Skills: Electronics by Tom Duncan	ISBN: 0 7195 4449 1 Publisher:John Murray	This is a suitable textbook for a beginner.
Starting Electronics by Keith Brindley	ISBN: 0 7506 4435 4 Publisher: Newnes	The practical approach of this book makes it suitable for beginners.
Teach Yourself Electronics by Malcolm Plant	ISBN: 0 3404 2230 0 Publisher:Hodder & Stoughton	A self-study book covering the essentials of electronics.
Electronics - A First Course by Owen Bishop	ISBN: 0 7506 5545 3 Publisher: Newnes	A suitable textbook for GCSE, Intermediate GNVQ and City & Guilds courses. Practical work is introduced almost immediately.
Electronics for Today and Tomorrow by Tom Duncan	ISBN: 0 7195 7413 7 Publisher:John Murray	A suitable textbook for GCSE and AS/A level. No projects or practical exercises.
Success in Electronics by Tom Duncan	ISBN: 0 7195 7205 3 Publisher:John Murray	A self-study textbook for GCSE and AS/A level. No projects or practical exercises.
Electronics Explained by M W Brimicombe	ISBN: 0 17 448303 1 Publisher:Nelson Thornes	An AS/A level textbook with many practical exercises.
Analogue Electronics by John C Morris	ISBN: 0 3407 1925 7 Publisher: Newnes	An AS/A level textbook with many practical investigations to support its discovery-based approach. Transistors, operational amplifiers, thyristors and triacs are covered.
Digital Electronics by John C Morris	ISBN: 0 3405 5638 2 Publisher: Newnes	An AS/A level textbook with many practical investigations to support its discovery-based approach. The 555 timer, logic gates, counters, shift registers and displays are covered.
Reference Books Learn how to use the integrated circuits covered by these books.
IC 555 Projects by E Parr	ISBN: 0 85934 047 3 Publisher:Bernard Babani	The 555 timer IC is used in many projects and this book thoroughly explains its operation and use. There are many circuit diagrams of projects.
A Beginners Guide to CMOS Digital ICs by R Penfold	ISBN: 0 85934 333 2 Publisher:Bernard Babani	This book explains how to use the 4000 series CMOS logic gates, counters, display drivers and so on. They are ideal for battery powered projects because they use little power and can tolerate a wide range of supply voltages.
A Beginners Guide to TTL Digital ICs by R Penfold	ISBN: 0 85934 332 4 Publisher:Bernard Babani	This book explains how to use the 74 series TTL logic gates, counters, display drivers and so on.
How to Use Op-Amps by E Parr	ISBN: 0 85934 063 5 Publisher:Bernard Babani	Operational amplifiers are very versatile devices and this book thoroughly explains their operation and use, with many circuit designs for the more experienced constructor.
Master IC Cookbook by Clayton Hallmark & Delton Horn	ISBN: 0 8306 6550 1 out of print try Amazon	Technical information on many popular integrated circuits (ICs), including the 74 series and 4000 series logic ICs. The book concentrates on the ICs themselves rather than the circuits in which they can be used.
Practical Books Learn by building projects on breadboard, no soldering is required.
Book Title and Author	ISBN and Publisher	Comments
Adventures with Electronics by Tom Duncan	ISBN: 0 7195 3554 9 Publisher:John Murray	An introduction to electronics by building transistor circuits on S-Dec, a breadboard system which does not require soldering.
Adventures with Micro-Electronics by Tom Duncan	ISBN: 0 7195 3671 5 Publisher:John Murray	Learn about electronics by building integrated circuit ('chip') projects on standard breadboard (no soldering required). This is more advanced than Adventures with Electronics (above).
Adventures with Digital Electronics by Tom Duncan	ISBN: 0 7195 3875 0 out of print try Amazon	Learn about digital electronics by building projects such as traffic lights and a binary 4-bit adder using 4000 series ICs on standard breadboard (no soldering required). This is the most advanced of the three 'Adventures with...' books.

Rapid Electronics stock a wide range of electronics books including some shown in the table above.

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Books for Electronics Projects

All these books are a good source of circuit diagrams for projects but in most cases you will need to design your own stripboard or PCB layout to build the project. If you plan to build projects from books or magazines that are more than about 10 years old you should check that all the components required are still available.

If you want to try designing your own circuits you will need to have a good understanding of electronics. It is best to start by adapting a circuit given in a book. The books for studying electronics include many useful circuit diagrams.

Project Books Many of these books just give circuit diagrams. Please be aware that you will need to design your own stripboard or PCB layout to build the project.
Book Title and Author	ISBN and Publisher	Comments
IC 555 Projects by E Parr	ISBN: 0 85934 047 3 Publisher:Bernard Babani	The 555 timer IC is used in many projects and this book thoroughly explains its operation and use. There are many circuit diagrams of projects.
How to Use Op-Amps by E Parr	ISBN: 0 85934 063 5 Publisher:Bernard Babani	Operational amplifiers are very versatile devices and this book thoroughly explains their operation and use, with many circuit designs for the more experienced constructor.
Circuit Source Book 1 by R Penfold	ISBN: 0 85934 321 9 Publisher:Bernard Babani	Circuit diagrams to help the experienced constructor design their own projects.
Circuit Source Book 2 by R Penfold	ISBN: 0 85934 322 7 Publisher:Bernard Babani	Circuit diagrams to help the experienced constructor design their own projects.
Practical Electronic Model Railway Projects by R Penfold	ISBN: 0 85934 384 7 Publisher:Bernard Babani	The projects include stripboard layouts, so this is a good book for the beginner.
How to Design and Make Your Own PCBs by R Penfold	ISBN: 0 85934 096 1 Publisher:Bernard Babani	This book is ideal for the home constructor and contains many practical tips.