| Radiotron Designer's Handbook, F. Langford-Smith: Wireless Press, 1953 (4th edition) |  |
These are the classic textbooks from the valve era. They were written as college texts and as reference works for practising engineers, and they weren't meant to be easy to read. They typically assume a good level of mathematical and theoretical background. Anyone who is serious about valve circuit design should have one or more of these on their bookshelf, but to get started it is better to begin with one of the books listed in Books for Beginners.
In the nature of things these books have been out of print for 30 or more years. In some cases modern reprints exist (generally available from Old Colony), which are a practical way to get hold of them although they are not as nice to handle as the originals. Otherwise it's a question of getting them through the second-hand book trade. I have got several from Angela Instruments, while the Bibliofind database is also helpful. There is rumoured to be a specialist bookshop in Elmira, NY, but I have had no luck in tracking it down - more information would be welcome. If all else fails, you may be able to borrow a copy from a national library such as the Library of Congress or the British Library, via your local lending library.
It's important to remember that there have been great advances in component techology since these books were written. While valves are the same today as 40 or 50 years ago, transformer core materials are vastly superior, and today's capacitor materials hadn't been dreamed of.
No pictures in this section - these books all look the same, mostly with drab dark grey/blue/covers and gold lettering on the spine.
| Radiotron Designer's Handbook, F. Langford-Smith: Wireless Press, 1953 (4th edition) | |
| This is the reference book for valve audio, and a must-have for the constructor. It would impudent to try and critique it. In 38 chapters and 1500 pages, it gives encyclopaedic coverage to everything from basic mathematics and electrical circuit theory, through valve fundamentals to the design aspects of all kinds of circuits including radio as well as audio. Each section was written by a specialist in the field, with Langford-Smith assembling the whole thing. Like all books from the pre-computer age, it has loads of graphical methods for calculating component values and the like. It covers power supply filter design in great detail (although not using the large-value electrolytics available today), and includes the theory of every kind of amplifier stage and coupling technique. | |
| Availability: relatively easy to find, owing to the number in circulation. Easy to spot at hamfests and like, it is almost cubical and coloured dark red. Expect to pay $50-60 for one in good condition. It is available on CD-ROM from Old Colony, and there are rumours of a reprint in the offing. The 3rd edition is also readily available; it is substantially shorter, and preferred by some. |
Electronic and Radio Engineering, F. E. Terman: McGraw-Hill, 1955 (4th edition)
| This is the classic textbook for valve-based radio circuit design. Unlike RDH, it is written in classic textbook format, mainly by a single author, and is truly a masterpiece. It is in second place only because of its much greater emphasis on RF design - at the time it was written this was state-of-the-art technology, with audio as the poor relation. Audio amplifiers are only dealt with in two out of 26 chapters. It does not set out to be encyclopaedic as does RDH; it assumes a good understanding of basic electronics, and does not deal with peripheral matters such as power supply design at all. In this edition, there is for the first time a treatment of the transistor, at that time in its infancy. | |
| Availability: should be fairly easy to find through the second-hand trade. There are rumours of a reprint although I have not tracked it down. |
Vacuum Tube Amplifiers, G. E. Valley & H. Wallman: MIT Press, 1948
| Another well-known classic. This is one of an extensive series produced by the MIT Radiation Laboratory in the late 1940s to capture all of the developments that out of World War II. As the foreword states, "Because this basic material may be of great value to science and engineering, it seemed most important to publish it as soon as security permitted." It deals with topics that were hi-tech at the time, especially high-frequency amplifiers and DC amplification, offering the only detailed treatment I have found of building accurate, low-drift DC amplifiers with valves. However this is of little relevance to audio. It is a very hi-math book, and if you are not comfortable with lots of calculus then you will find most of the text inaccessible. Becuase the book is one of a series, it is very specialised and does not touch, for example, the basic of valve operation (though it does give a good treatment of the special problems of low-current operation), nor of basic valve amplifier design. The reader is assumed to be familiar with all of the basics. Overall, it is a very useful book to have on the shelf, but not indispensible for audio. | |
| Availability: has been reprinted by Boston Technical Press, and easy to find both in the original edition and as a reprint through the second-hand trade. Don't pay more than $30-40. |