Background: My books were stored while I was away for a year on sabbatical (2006-2007) so that my office could be used by visiting faculty. When I returned, only about half of my personal library could be found. So I thought if I was going to replace them with a smaller subset of more up-to-date references I wanted to start with a list of what people considered to be "essential" books at the undergrad and grad level, hence this list.
How the list was generated:
Notes:
E&M
1. David J. Griffiths: Introduction to Electrodynamics; U,C
2. John David Jackson: Classical Electrodynamics; G, C
3. Purcell: BerkeleyPhysics Series Vol 2.; U,C
4. Corson & LorrainElectromagnetic Fields & Waves
Mechanics
1. Herbert Goldstein: Classical Mechanics; G, C
2. John Taylor: Classical Mechanics; U
3. Fowles Analytical Mechanics
Statistical and Thermal
1. Kittel and Kroemer: Thermal Physics; U,C (but no one really seems to like it)
2. Dan Schroeder: An Introduction to Thermal Physics; U, C
4. Herbert B. Callen: Thermodynamics and an Introduction to Thermostatistics, 2nd Edition
5. Frederick Reif: Fundamentals of Statistical and Thermal Physics; G, C
Quantum
1. Introduction to Quantum Mechanics by David J. Griffiths; U, C
2. Modern Quantum Mechanics by J.J. Sakurai; G, C
3. Quantum Theory: Concepts and Methods (Fundamental Theories of Physics) by A. Peres; G, C
4. Introductory Quantum Mechanics (4th Edition) by Richard Liboff; U
5. Morrison: Quantum States of Atoms, Molecules and Solids
6. R. Shankar; Principles of Quantum Mechanics
7. Claude Cohen-Tannoudji; Quantum Mechanics (2 vol. set)
8. Michael Nielsen and Isaac Chuang; Quantum Computation and Quantum Information.
Comment: I was surprised that others were not even mentioned (such as Messiah, Mertzbacher or Dirac- which really, everyone should read). There was also not a clear consensus for a graduate level text although Sakurai was favored slightly.
Field theory/String Theory
1. Tony Zee: Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell; G, C
2. Peskin and Schroeder: An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory, G, C
3. Joseph Polchinski: String Theory, Vol. 1 : An Introduction to the Bosonic String
4. Joseph Polchinski: String Theory, Vol. 2 : Superstring Theory and Beyond
5. Weinberg: Quantum theory of fields
Math methods
1. Boas: Mathematical Methods in the Physical Sciences; U, C
2. Arfken and Weber : Mathematical Methods for Physicists; G, C
3. E. Kreyszig: Advanced Engineering Mathematics
4. Morris Tenenbaum, Harry Pollard: Ordinary differential equations; an elementary textbook for students of mathematics, engineering, and the sciences
5. Walter Rudin: Principles of Mathematical Analysis (International Series in Pure & Applied Mathematics)
Solid state/condensed matter
1. Ashcroft & Mermin "Solid State Physics"; G, C (but considered a little out of date)
2. Charles Kittel: Introduction to Solid State Physics 8th edition; U, C (but no one really likes it)
3. O'Reilly, Quantum Theory of Solids
4. P. M. Chaikin, T. C. Lubensky: Principles of Condensed Matter Physics
5. Marder: Condensed Matter Physics
6. Martin: Electronic Structure
7. Ibach and Lüth: SolidStateTheory
8. Grosso: Solid StatePhysics
Not much consensus here after Ashcroft and Mermin. I did not get any materials science recommendations (although there are lots of these books available; Hummel: Understanding Materials Science is a great undergrad level book; Callister: Materials Science and Engineering, an Introduction is a little more advanced).
Error analysis
1. Bevington: Data Reduction and Error Analysis for the Physical Sciences
2. John R. Taylor: An Introduction to Error Analysis: The Study of Uncertainties in Physical Measurements
Optics
1. Hecht: Optics; C
2. Stephen G. Lipson: Optical Physics
3. John Lester Miller, Ed Friedman: Photonics Rules of Thumb: Optics, Electro-Optics, Fiber Optics and Lasers
4. Jenkins & White Fundamentals of Optics
Relativity/gravitation
1. Taylor and Wheeler: Spacetime Physics; U, C
2. Misner / Thorne / Wheeler: Gravitation; G, C
3. Bernard Schutz: A first course in general relativity; U, C
4. Steven Weinberg: Gravitation and Cosmology
5. Hans Ohanian: Gravitation & Spacetime
6. Robert Wald: General Relativity
7. J. Foster and J. D. Nightingale: A short course in general relativity
Electronics/Experimental
1. Horowitz and Hill: The Art of Electronics (and lab manual by Horowitz and Hayes); C
2. F. M. Mims: Getting Started in Electronics; C
3. Diefenderfer: Principles of Electronic Instrumentation
4. Muller and Kamins: Device Electronics for integrated circuits
5. C.P. Slichter: Principles of magnetic resonance
6. Melissinos: Experiments in Modern Physics
7. Preston and Dietz: The Art of Experimental Physics
Astronomy/Cosmology
1. Carroll and Ostlie: An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics; G, C
2. Frank H. Shu: Physical Universe: An Introduction to Astronomy (Series of Books in Astronomy); U, C
3. J. V. Narlikar: Introduction to Cosmology
4. Hannu Karttunen et al. (eds.): Fundamental Astronomy.
5. Phillip James Edwin Peebles: Large-Scale Structure of the Universe, C (somewhat out of date)
Computer programming
1. Harvey Gould (Editor), Jan Tobochnik, Wolfgang Christian: An Introduction to Computer Simulation Methods: Applications to Physical System (3nd Edition) ; C
2. Tuekolsky and Press: Numerical Recipes in X (X=C, Fortran, Pascal, etc); C
Nonlinear
1. Michael Tabor: Chaos and Integrability in Nonlinear Dynamics: An Introduction; C
2. Thierry Dauxois, Michel Peyrard: Physics of Solitons
3. Edward Ott; Chaos in Dynamical Systems
4. Storgatz: Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos
Nuclear & Particle
1. Krane: Introductory nuclear physics
2. Walecka: Theoretical Nuclear and Subnuclear Physics
3. Griffiths: Introduction to elementary particles; U
4. Francis Halzen, Alan D. Martin: Quarks and leptons: an introductory course in modern particle physics.
5. Duderstadt & Hamilton: Nuclear Reactor Analysis; C
6. Knoll: Radiation Detection and Measurement; C
Waves
1. Frank S. Crawford Jr.: Waves: BerkeleyPhysics Course, Vol. 3; U, C
2. Ingard: Fundamentals of Waves and Oscillations
Environmental Physics (my own list)
1. Hafemeister: Physics of Social Issues, 2007 (excellent nuts and bolts treatment of energy issues, pollution, climate change, risk and a wonderful intro to mathematical economics.)
2. Boeker and Grondelle: Environmental Physics. (upper undergrad level, fairly comprehensive)
3. Sorensen: Renewable Energy (encyclopedic)
4. Tester, Drake, Driscoll, Golay, Peters: Sustainable Energy (confusingly written but lots of useful information)
5. Harte: Consider a Spherical Cow (also Consider a Cylindrical Cow- both are classics for back of the envelope calculations)
6. Kammen and Hazzenahl: Should We Risk it. (pretty good intro to risk analysis)
7. McNeil: Something New Under the Sun (this will convince you that the last 100 years has been very different than any other time in the history of humans)
8. Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway: Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming (good rundown of the obfuscation campaign of the fossil fuel industry against both tobacco and human caused climate change).
9. Sustainable Energy- Without the Hot Air, David J.C. MacKay (UIT Cambridge Ltd., 2009).
Three reasonable texts at the third year undergrad level:
See also: Resource Letter PSEn-1: Physics and society: Energy by Art Hobson American Journal of Physics vol. 75 No. 4 April (2007) p294.
Ialso have a longer list at: http://homepages.ius.edu/kforinas/ClassRefs/EnviroRefs.html
First year references
1. Feynman's three volumes
2. Halliday, Resnick and Walker: Fundamentals of Physics
3. Chabay and Sherwood: Matter and Interactions (two volumes)
4. Moore: Six Ideas that Shaped Physics (6 volumes)
5. McDermott: Physics by Inquiry (series)
6. Sokoloff et. al. : Real Time Physics (series)
7. Aarons: Teaching Introductory Physics
8. Mazur: Peer Instruction
9. Hewitt: Conceptual Physics
Demonstrations
1. Erlich: Why Toast Lands Jelly-side down
2. Joe Pizzo: Interactive Physics Demonstrations
3. Freier and Anderson: A Demonstration Handbook for Physics