K. A. LEONTIEV. Physical Foundations of Radio Engineering, GTTI, Moscow–Leningrad, 1932, 163 pp., price 4 rubles 25 kopecks.

In recent years a number of books have appeared setting forth the physical foundations of radio engineering. But these books (for example, Freiman’s Course of Radio Engineering, Wagner’s Physical Foundations of Radio Reception), intended for radio-engineering specialists, are of little use for a broad circle of readers. On the other hand, there are a number of books and handbooks of a purely technical character, very useful in practical work, but almost entirely avoiding theoretical questions. Meanwhile, for teachers of secondary schools, leaders of serious amateur-radio circles, and also for students who are not specializing in radio engineering but are taking a small course in electrical and radio engineering, there has been a lack of a suitable, small but sufficiently serious guide.

The book by the recently deceased professor of Saratov University

Bibliography

K. A. Leont’eva’s Physical Foundations of Radio Engineering fills this gap. In her book the author first gives a concise (about 70 pages), yet quite rigorously presented, survey of the foundations of general electrical engineering (electromagnetism, induction, alternating current), and then proceeds to consider special radio-engineering questions (electromagnetic oscillations, radio reception, the electron tube, detection, amplification and generation of oscillations, radiotelephony), devoting the main attention to the theoretical side and touching only briefly on narrowly practical questions. This part of the book occupies about 90 pages.

Despite the conciseness of the exposition, the book is written very vividly, reads rather easily, and gives the reader a perfectly clear idea of the physical-theoretical foundations of radio engineering. Only when reading the last chapter (telephone and reproducer) may the reader encounter a number of perplexing questions, since the exposition of the theory of the telephone is given in an excessively compressed form (only 4 pages).

The book will undoubtedly serve as an excellent manual for a number of our higher educational institutions in which a small survey course in radio engineering is taught (universities, pedagogical institutes, etc.); it may also be recommended to students of radio engineering as an aid for preliminary acquaintance with this subject, as well as to all those interested in radio engineering (reading the book requires familiarity with the foundations of higher mathematics).

The book is quite satisfactorily produced. Its print run was sold out soon after publication, and one may wish for its earliest possible reissue.

N. Malov