Perry's Chemical Engineer's Handbook (Perrys Chemical Engineers Handbook - Bu Robert H. Perry, Don W. Green)

Member Name: B0nfire

Product:	Perrys Chemical Engineers Handbook - Bu Robert H. Perry, Don W. Green
Date:	01/07/00 (121 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Veru comprehensive

Disadvantages: In time, you too will hate this book...

No! Please don’t turn away in boredom! This opinion will be interesting, I promise!
The Bible of Chemical Engineers, Perry’s is an immense tome that spans more pages than I would ever like to read through. I don’t know the exact number because the numbering is by chapter and page instead of just page. The volume’s ‘Holy Book’ status is further reinforced by its ultra-thin pages, covered in minute text, and you get a reverential awe just to open it.
As a tool it’s very useful, and covers all of the exciting things that Chemical Engineers use in their trade (such as Liquid-flow calculation, friction factors, material resistances etc.), but nobody I know actually LIKES this book. The sheer amount of information is very off-putting, and it can take some time to find what you’re after. Even then it’s written in such a way that you have to spend a few minutes deciphering the meaning.
Also, at the best part of £100 a copy it’s not cheap. There’s a version that’s just become available on CD-ROM that is a similar price but allows you to search more efficiently. If you think you’ll be using this book a lot, I recommend the CD to cut down on searching time, but otherwise get the hardback version so you’ve got something impressive to put on your shelf.
Sorry, that wasn’t very exciting at all, was it?

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