Course of Theoretical Physics

The Course of Theoretical Physics is a ten-volume series

L.D. Landau, E.M. Lifshitz (1976). Mechanof books covering theoretical physics that was initiated by
ics. Vol. 1 (3rd ed.). Butterworth-Heinemann.
Lev Landau and written in collaboration with his student
ISBN 978-0-7506-2896-9.
Evgeny Lifshitz starting in the late 1930s. It is said that
Landau composed much of the series in his head while Covers classical mechanics without special or general relin an NKVD prison in 1938-39.[1] However, almost all ativity, in the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalisms.
of the actual writing of the early volumes was done by
Lifshitz, giving rise to the often repeated witticism, not Volume 2
a word of Landau and not a thought of Lifshitz.[2] The
rst eight volumes were nished in the 1950s, written in
L.D. Landau, E.M. Lifshitz (1951). The Classical
Russian and translated into English by the late 1950s.
Theory of Fields. Vol. 2 (1st ed.). Addison-Wesley.
The last two volumes were written in the early 1980s.
ASIN B0007G5B42.
Vladimir Berestetskii and Lev Pitaevskii also contributed
L.D. Landau, E.M. Lifshitz (1959). The Clasto the series. The series is often referred to as "Landau
sical Theory of Fields. Vol. 2 (2nd ed.).
and Lifshitz", "Landafshitz" (rus. "") in
[3][4]
Pergamon
Press.
informal settings.
L.D. Landau, E.M. Lifshitz (1971). The Classical Theory of Fields. Vol. 2 (3rd ed.).
Pergamon Press. ISBN 978-0-08-016019-1.

Impact

L.D. Landau, E.M. Lifshitz (1975). The Classical Theory of Fields. Vol. 2 (4th ed.).
Butterworth-Heinemann. ISBN 978-0-75062768-9.

The books are well known for their concise, elegant and
accurate formulation of the laws of physics. Generations
of physicists, both in Russia and around the world, have
been educated in physics through this series. The presenCovers relativistic mechanics of particles, and classical
tation of material is advanced, requires a foundation of
eld theory for elds, specically special relativity and
physics, and is suitable for graduate-level study.
electromagnetism, general relativity and gravitation.

See Russian
Wikipedia.

Volume 3

Russian editions
editions

in

Russian

L.D. Landau, E.M. Lifshitz (1958). Quantum Mechanics: Non-Relativistic Theory. Vol. 3 (1st ed.).
Pergamon Press.

language

L.D. Landau, E.M. Lifshitz (1965). Quantum

Mechanics: Non-Relativistic Theory. Vol. 3
(2nd ed.). Pergamon Press.

English editions

L.D. Landau, E.M. Lifshitz (1977). Quantum

Mechanics: Non-Relativistic Theory. Vol. 3
(3rd ed.). Pergamon Press. ISBN 978-0-08020940-1.

Note that reprints and revised editions are not listed.

Volume 1

Online copy Covers quantum mechanics without special

L.D. Landau, E.M. Lifshitz (1960). Mechan- relativity.
ics. Vol. 1 (1st ed.). Pergamon Press. ASIN
Volume 4
B0006AWV88.
L.D. Landau, E.M. Lifshitz (1969). Mechanics. Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). Pergamon Press. ISBN
978-0-201-04146-0.

V.B. Berestetskii, E.M. Lifshitz, L.P. Pitaevskii

(1971). Relativistic Quantum Theory. Vol. 4 (1st
ed.). Pergamon Press. ISBN 978-0-08-017175-3.
1

4 NOTES
V.B. Berestetskii, E.M. Lifshitz, L.P.
Pitaevskii (1982). Quantum Electrodynamics.
Vol. 4 (2nd ed.). Butterworth-Heinemann.
ISBN 978-0-7506-3371-0.

L.D. Landau, E.M. Lifshitz (1986). Theory of Elasticity. Vol. 7 (3rd ed.). Butterworth-Heinemann.
ISBN 978-0-7506-2633-0.

Covers elasticity theory of solids, including viscous

The original edition was two books, labelled part 1 and solids, vibrations and waves in cystals with dislocations,
part 2. The rst had general aspects of relativistic quan- and a chapter on the mechanics of liquid crystals.
tum mechanics and relativistic quantum eld theory, leading onto quantum electrodynamics, the second continued
on quantum electrodynamics and what was then known Volume 8
about the strong and weak interactions. These books were
published in the early 1970s, at a time when the strong and
L.D. Landau, E.M. Lifshitz (1960). Electrodynamweak forces were still not well understood. In the second
ics of Continuous Media. Vol. 8 (1st ed.). Pergamon
edition, the corresponding sections were scrapped and
Press. ISBN 978-0-08-009105-1.
replaced with more topics in the well-established quan L.D. Landau, E.M. Lifshitz, L.P. Pitaevskii (1984).
tum electrodynamics, and the two parts were unied into
Electrodynamics of Continuous Media. Vol. 8 (2nd
one, thus providing a one-volume exposition on relativised.). Butterworth-Heinemann. ISBN 978-0-7506tic quantum eld theory with the electromagnetic inter2634-7.
action as the prototype of a quantum eld theory.
Volume 5
Statistical Physics. Vol. 5 (1st ed.). 1951.

Covers electromagnetism in materials, includes a variety of topics in condensed matter physics, a chapter on
magnetohydrodynamics, and another on nonlinear optics.

Early version: L.D. Landau (1938). Statistical Physics. Clarendon Press. ASIN Volume 9
B00085BKZG.
L.P. Pitaevskii, E.M. Lifshitz (1980). Statistical
Statistical Physics. Vol. 5 (2nd ed.). 1968.
Physics, Part 2: Theory of the Condensed State. Vol.
L.D. Landau, E.M. Lifshitz (1980). Statisti9 (1st ed.). Butterworth-Heinemann. ISBN 978-0cal Physics. Vol. 5 (3rd ed.). Butterworth7506-2636-1.
Heinemann. ISBN 978-0-7506-3372-7.
Covers general statistical mechanics and thermodynamics Builds from the original statistical physics book; more apand applications, including chemical reactions, phase plications to condensed matter theory.
transitions, and condensed matter physics.
Volume 10
Volume 6
L.D. Landau, E.M. Lifshitz (1959). Fluid Mechanics. Vol. 6 (1st ed.). Pergamon Press. ISBN 978-008-009104-4.

L.P. Pitaevskii, E.M. Lifshitz (1981). Physical Kinetics. Vol. 10 (1st ed.). Pergamon Press. ISBN
978-0-7506-2635-4.

L.D. Landau, E.M. Lifshitz (1987). Fluid Presents various applications of kinetic theory to conMechanics. Vol. 6 (2nd ed.). Butterworth- densed matter theory, on metals, insulators, and phase
Heinemann. ISBN 978-0-08-033933-7.
transitions.
Covers uid mechanics in a condensed but varied exposition, from ideal to viscous uids, includes a chapter on
relativistic uid mechanics, and another on superuids.
Volume 7
L.D. Landau, E.M. Lifshitz (1959). Theory of Elasticity. Vol. 7 (1st ed.). Pergamon Press.
L.D. Landau, E.M. Lifshitz (1970). Theory of Elasticity. Vol. 7 (2nd ed.). Pergamon Press. ISBN 9780-08-006465-9.

4 Notes
[1] Richard Rhodes (1995). Dark Sun: The Making of the
Hydrogen Bomb. Simon & Schuster. p. 33.
[2] Anton Z. Capri (2007). From Quanta to Quarks: More
Anecdotal History of Physics. World Scientic. p. 112.
[3]
[4]

External links
Internet Archive: Internet Archive. Retrieved
2013-11-02. (for volumes 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8) and
Internet Archive. Retrieved 2013-11-02. (for volume 4).
Britannica Online: Course of Theoretical Physics
All ten volumes on Amazon.com

6 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

6.1

Text

Course of Theoretical Physics Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Course_of_Theoretical_Physics?oldid=659126718 Contributors:

Rich Farmbrough, Woohookitty, Urod, DonaldDuck, SmackBot, Michael C Price, Headbomb, Fallschirmjger, TAP3AH, Tom Paine,
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6.2

Images

File:Landau_&_Lifshitz_-_Volume_1_-_Mechanics.jpg Source:
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Lifshitz_-_Volume_1_-_Mechanics.jpg License: Fair use Contributors:
Originally from Russian Wikipedia, derived from a digital capture (photo) of the book cover (creator of this digital version is irrelevant
as the copyright in all equivalent images is still held by the same party). Copyright held by the publisher or the artist. Claimed as fair use
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6.3

Content license

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