Customer Reviews:
 Tremendous Work and Very Clear November 29, 2006
Edward C. Barile (Massachusetts)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is one of the few books that I will always treasure. Why? Because it is very clear. It has very very good discussions on everything it treats, and it treats a ton of material. In my engineering career, I have read or tried to read many many textbooks and this stands up as one of the absolute best. Barrett and Meyers give exquisite expositions on all of the mathematics necessary to study image science and many other related fields. For example, its treatment on probability, random processes, decision and estimation theory is actually better, more clear and more complete than many standard textbooks on the subject. If I get stuck reading any of them, I refer to this book and am saved.
I only wish they would issue it in two or three volumes. It is so ponderous (yet beautifully put together) if you carry it around you will get big muscles and get a good cardio workout!
I own it and leave it at home and I had the library at work get me a copy which I leave at work. If I want exercise I will go to my health club!
IT IS WORTH EVERY PENNY OF THE 146 BUCKS IT COSTS.
If you want a great textbook to learn this technology from dont hesitate to buy it. You may need two - one for home and one for work, if your company wont buy you one.
Really impressed.
Correction to the quotation from JEI August 20, 2006
Sreeram Dhurjaty (Rochester, NY)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was the reviewer for this book in the Journal of Electronic Imaging.
The quotation from my review in JEI as it appears on this site should read:
"...a worthwhile addition to the armamentarium of any serious researcher in image science and will be an oft-quoted reference for many years to come." (Journal of Electronic Imaging, April-June 2005)
The corrections pertains to the word, oft-quoted, which has, for some reason, appeared as "opt-quoted" on this site in addition to the reference, "Journal of Electronic Imaging" instead of "Journal of Electrical Imaging"
This book, of course, is outstanding as I have stated in my review in the JEI.
Extremely thorough and rigorous resource February 10, 2006
B. C. Richards (Tucson, AZ, USA)
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
This book always amazes me whenever I use it for the absolutely incredible amount of material that it covers in such depth. I had the tremendous good fortune to have taken a Physical Optics course with Prof. Barrett, and it would be impossible to believe that one person can know so much unless you have personally talked with him about science or had a class with him. The rumor in the department is that Dr. Barrett is the only professor to at one time or other have taught ALL of the department's core graduate courses during his career at the College of Optical Sciences. Furthermore, he is one of the rare scientists who is an authority in his field both theoretically and experimentally, so you do not get a one-sided perspective as can often happen with science texts. The book reflects his vast knowledge, expertise, rigor, and thoroughness.
Of course, the book has several chapters on mathematical formalism, including the linear algebra, dirac delta function, Fourier theory, and group theory. The imaging theory is there, as well as diffraction theory. He covers photon statistics and detection, including the necessary quantum mechanics. He covers several advanced imaging concepts that I haven't any idea about myself. You probably could not find a more comprehensive book in the field of imaging and physical optics. Another benefit is that, at least for the chapters I have used, the individual chapters seem to stand well on their own and you are not forced to study the book in order.
This book is not for the faint of heart in any respect. The material itself is not for the faint of heart: it is extremely rigorous and will require your careful attention, but I believe it is well explained and manageable for someone who is serious about learning it. The size of the book is not for the faint of heart. I would hate to have to carry this thing around much (>1500 pages!!). The price is nothing to sneeze at either, at least for an impoverished graduate student like me, but Dr. Barrett told us that if you calculate the cost per equation, it may be one of the cheapest books on the market. Well, you get what you pay for. As far as anyone in the class found out, there are no typos, either. (Really. We were looking for them). This is certainly a relief for anyone who has much experience shelling out hundreds of dollars for expensive science textbooks.
I do not consider this book to be introductory material, but it is quite likely as close to exhaustive as anything you are apt to encounter in the physical sciences. If you are very serious about imaging or physical optics, this book will be an invaluable resource.
Very good and the most complete of the field! February 18, 2004
4 out of 8 found this review helpful
The authors have done a great work. The book is complete and detailed. It is helping me a lot in the beginning of my Ph.D. It's really a must have in the field!
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