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Public domain technical books published before 1964

by xd on 4/5/25, 8:56 AM with 6 comments

• by BlandDuck on 4/5/25, 10:45 AM

  I love old, well-written technical books, like these. There is something about the language, directness, innocence (for lack of a better term) and careful arguments that I find incredibly satisfying. They are not afraid to go technical and deep, when needed. They have humor and feel personal.

  Somehow, I rarely find this in modern technical books, but it is hard for me to figure out why. Maybe something is lost in the "pedagogy" of many modern textbooks.

  I'll read such books about pretty much any topic just for pleasure. An all-time favorite is "Stick and Rudder" by Wolfgang Langewiesche, although a very different topic, obviously.

• by type0 on 4/5/25, 10:07 AM

  A few years ago I saw a pre-WWII book on radio electronics in a thrift store, too bad I didn't buy it. I was amazed how approachable it was to general public and how good it was written. It seems to me that the quality of technical writing to the layman isn't as it used to be, I have never seen as good explanations for basic concepts in any modern books.

• by dazzawazza on 4/5/25, 9:52 AM

  For the best reason, curiosity, I am learning about amplifier circuits. I really appreciate this link. Thank you.

  I also appreciate the no bullshit nature of the website and texts contained within. What a joy.