Students love Kraus because of his writing style. He had a knack for simplifying the complex.
| Textbook | Strengths vs. Kraus | Weaknesses vs. Kraus | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | (Field and Wave Electromagnetics) | More concise, better for quick review. | Less depth in antennas. | | William H. Hayt (Engineering Electromagnetics) | Easier math; better for sophomores. | Too simplistic for graduate level. | | Constantine Balanis (Advanced Engineering EM) | Modern computational methods; rigorous. | Dense prose; difficult for undergrads. | | Ulaby & Ravaioli (Fundamentals of Applied EM) | Beautiful color graphics; CD-ROM included. | Expensive; less historical texture. | john d kraus electromagnetics pdf
Kraus remains the best first book for aspiring RF engineers. Students love Kraus because of his writing style
Historical editions (e.g., 2nd edition from 1953) are available as full PDFs on sites like World Radio History . Kraus | Weaknesses vs
As of 2025, there is no "5th Edition" planned. The late Kraus’s co-author, Daniel Fleisch (a physicist at Wittenberg University), has moved on to other projects (like his excellent "Student's Guide to Maxwell's Equations" series). This means the 4th edition is the final, definitive version. Consequently, the value of the is likely to increase as the physical stock dwindles.