Protective Relaying: Principles and Applications, Fourth Edition 4th Edition

This is my most commonly used reference material on the job. I originally owned a copy of revision three but ended up getting this copy as part of a class I took. It cleans up some of the minor mistakes that the older version had and it brings some more modern references into the book but let's be serious. If you're getting this book, you're mostly getting it for the great detail provided on the principles of protective relaying which have not changed much since their origins. I think I liked the formatting of the older book more, the font, sizing, etc but I find it difficult to remove a star for that when the new one is still perfectly readable. Some of the graphics are still outdated looking and can be difficult to read but if you're already familiar with TCCs and power equipment, you'll be able to fill in the gaps. If you're not familiar, they're an overwhelming abundance of information on the internet to help. Again, I find it difficult to pull a star for that because I'm guessing anyone buying this book is buying it for the principles and not the art. To that point, there are very few printed resources that match up to Blackburn when it comes to principles of protective relaying.

First off, this book contains a lot of in-depth material. It is very detailed and contains most information you need for the protection field. However, this is not a book most people can just sit down and read. If you take it piece-by-piece, it is a joy to get through. As others have stated, the binding is not the best, so take extra care of your book. This book does expect you to fully grasp the concepts of power systems. If you have not already had exposure to fault analysis and symmetrical components, I suggest you first read a power system analysis book and then try to tackle this book.If you already have experience in the protective relaying field, this book will serve as a great reference for you. If you are just getting into the field, or want to learn more about protection just for fun, I would suggest this book along with Fundamentals of Power System Protection (Paithankar, Bhide). Read a topic in Paithankar first (like transformer protection), and then read the same topic in Blackburn. Paithankar will give you a condensed and clear explanation of the basics on a topic, and then Blackburn will go into more depth.

Ordered this for my son, he said it was exactly what he expected. The quality was good no surprises. If I remember correctly, it arrived on time.

It's a decent book, considering how few other books are out there on this subject. It is more of a reference book than a textbook since there aren't really any examples in the chapter. All of the problems are at the back of the book too, which is odd. Some concepts that should be covered in great detail aren't while other topics that are really specific to a system are talked about in great detail. I found it mildly annoying but nothing I couldn't deal with. Good textbook, and it's even used in the industry.

I gave the book to one of our new engineers. A great resource for electrical power engineers that need to know relay protection and controls.

This book is great. The came with a slight bend on the cover but nothing big. This book was recommended to me by a senior electrical engineer with more than 30 years of experience. I have started reading it and I have learned a lot from it. The first few chapters cover many basics of electrical engineering calculations and theory. This is very important to read to refresh yourself on the material and better comprehend the later chapters. This book has covers real life applications and provides guidance on some grey areas that we may encounter in electrical engineering.

This book is still a standard go to reference for any practicing protective relaying engineer.

The publisher is bad, if McGrawHill was providing this book it would be much better. Other engineering publishers can do a much better job that CRC Press. Its a shame Americans have to put up with such an unprofessional technical book as this in its 4th edition - how lunatic can it get.