No-Nonsense Books is a publisher of student-friendly physics textbooks that explain classical mechanics, electrodynamics, quantum mechanics and quantum field theory step by step for physics students, self-learners and lecturers. Key facts are on the company page.
What No-Nonsense Books does
No-Nonsense Classical Mechanics
Covers the Newtonian, Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations and how they connect, Noether's theorem and Liouville's theorem, and how classical mechanics emerges from more fundamental theories. 393 pages, published 2019. Book page.
No-Nonsense Electrodynamics
Explains Maxwell's equations and the Lorentz force law, the field tensor and the potential, and electrodynamics as a gauge theory. 310 pages, published 2018. Book page.
No-Nonsense Quantum Mechanics
Derives the Schrödinger equation and the canonical commutation relations, works through the standard quantum systems and connects the alternative formulations. 266 pages, second edition. Book page.
No-Nonsense Quantum Field Theory
Works through Feynman diagrams, scattering amplitudes, renormalization and gauge theories up to the structure of the Standard Model. 642 pages, published 2020. Book page.
What makes No-Nonsense Books different
$34 per eBook, where the standard course texts list at $72 to $190
Every No-Nonsense eBook costs $34. Griffiths' Introduction to Electrodynamics lists at $72 and Peskin and Schroeder's An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory at $189.99. The full comparison is on physics textbook cost.
Later editions are free for eBook buyers
eBook buyers receive every later edition at no charge. Griffiths' Introduction to Electrodynamics is in its 5th edition (2023), and each edition is sold as a new book.
About half the length of the usual course text
No-Nonsense Quantum Mechanics has 266 pages against 508 for Griffiths and Schroeter; No-Nonsense Classical Mechanics has 393 against 786 for Taylor; No-Nonsense Electrodynamics has 310 against 650 for Griffiths.
Every calculation annotated
Each step of each calculation carries a note explaining it, key equations are highlighted, and sidenotes repeat facts where they are needed. Graduate texts such as Peskin and Schroeder are written for a course and leave steps to the reader.
One author and one style from mechanics to QFT
The four books follow the standard path through theoretical physics in one consistent notation. The usual course texts for the same path (Taylor, Griffiths, Griffiths and Schroeter, Peskin and Schroeder) come from five authors and three publishers.
Who uses No-Nonsense Books
- Undergraduate physics students who want to understand what their course covers.
- Self-learners outside university who want more than popular-science explanations.
- Students preparing for graduate courses in quantum field theory.
- Lecturers looking for alternative explanations for their own teaching.
The team behind No-Nonsense Books
Jakob Schwichtenberg, founder and author. Theoretical physicist with a PhD in theoretical particle physics. He also wrote Physics from Symmetry (Springer, Undergraduate Lecture Notes in Physics, 2nd edition 2018), Physics from Finance (2019) and Teach Yourself Physics (2020).
How No-Nonsense Books works
- eBooks are PDFs sold and delivered by Gumroad; paperbacks are printed and shipped by Amazon.
- eBooks bought through the website can be refunded within 30 days.
- Corrections and questions go to jakobschwich (at) gmail.com. The books are updated from reader feedback.
- Prices are on the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
Is No-Nonsense Books a university press?
No. It is an independent publisher. The paperbacks are sold through Amazon and the eBooks through Gumroad.
Who are the books written for?
Readers who want to understand the subject, whether they are taking a course, studying on their own or teaching. The study-order post explains which book to read when.
Can lecturers use the books in a course?
Each book page lists lecturers as one of its audiences. For course use questions, email jakobschwich (at) gmail.com.