Active-Filter Cookbook

I bought the second edition cookbook in the early '90s. I have used Mr. Lancasters' book to design many audio active filters. I am ordering another copy of the "Active Filter Cookbook" because I gave away my other copy to an engineer in Asia (while on a business trip) who desparately needed it. The math is kept to a minimum, but very accurate if good quality parts (Op-Amps, resistors, caps etc) are used. Each chapter is dedicated to a specific topic, which makes reading very easy. Mr. Lancaster arms the reader with the tools neccessary to understand, build and/or modify existing designs. I would only recommend this book to readers who have built previous projects, as Mr. Lancaster does not go into any construction details/techniques.

Owners of Lancaster's original Active Filter Cookbook: read on. I just bought Lancaster's Active Filter Cookbook, Second Edition. For years I have owned a copy of the original (1975) edition (mine is the 17th (1992) SAMS reprinting). Based on a cursory inspection, I can find no difference between the 1992 reprinting of the original edition and the so-called second edition. The Preface, the Table of Contents, the page numbering, the contents of numerous pages I examined, the List of References, the Index, are all identical, as far as I can tell. There is no new preface to the second edition. There is no description, either inside or on the outside cover, of what has been changed in the second edition. Based on my examination, I would recommend that, if you already own a copy of the first edition, there is no reason to buy the second.

The design of electronic filters is usually seen as a complex and difficult task, best handled by specialists. Don Lancaster, with this durable treatise, has written a clear and easy to follow guide. The principles and mathematics at the root of this subject are not trivialised but are explained in such a way that the non-specialist will have little trouble achieving success.

I have used this book to design many active filters for audio applications. The book is non-mathematical in nature, many design tables are given, but most importantly the book connects theory and real world applications. Many other books are way too theoretical in nature to be of any use. If you want to build filter circuits, then this book is a must. If you want lots of elegant mathematics, look elsewhere. An excellent book.