Basic Electrical Engineering, A.E. Fitzgerald, 1945 First Edition Hardcover Textbook. Vintage MIT Science Circuits Machines Electronics

Basic Electrical Engineering, A.E. Fitzgerald, 1945 First Edition Hardcover Textbook. Vintage MIT Science Circuits Machines Electronics

This rare vintage 1945 first edition academic textbook, titled Basic Electrical Engineering: Circuits, Machines, Electronics, is written by esteemed educator A. E. Fitzgerald, Sc.D., who served as an Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Published in New York and London by the McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., this 443-page textbook serves as a historic milestone of mid-century technical education, capturing the foundations of modern electrification and the vacuum-tube era. Issued as a prominent installment within the iconic McGraw-Hill Electrical Engineering Texts series, it covers complex principles of electrical machinery, alternating current (AC) power systems, magnetic circuits, and early institutional electronics. Adding incredible historical value, the interior front flyleaf features the authentic, extensive handwritten ink annotations, engineering equations, formulas (covering motor torque \(T = 7.04 K \Phi I_A\) and transformer ratios), and assignments from its original mid-century student owner, Dwight R. Shumann. The book is bound in its classic, period-authentic black textured cloth hardcover featuring a blind-stamped series frame on the front face. It serves as an unmatched gift for historical engineers, an authentic display piece for physics classrooms, or a fine vintage academic addition.

Based on the provided images, this antique science textbook is in good, character-rich vintage condition. The exterior dark black cloth binding remains highly structural and firm with crisp rectangular corners and clear blind-stamped lettering on the front board. The spine exhibits typical shelf wear, including compression crinkling at the head and foot, along with light fading to its gold-stamped title text. The inner paper contents show the remarkable preservation of a clean, bright title page with tight, secure binding gutters. The front endpapers feature dense, historically fascinating handwritten student notes, mathematical formulas, and vintage university department telephone numbers in lead pencil and blue fountain pen ink, with no structural tears or significant paper deterioration.

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