Product Description
An off-beat introduction to the workings of electricity for people who wish Richard Brautigan and Kurt Vonnegut had teamed up to explain inductance and capacitance to them. Despite its title, it's not wild ranting pseudo-science to be dismissed by those with brains. Rather, Amdahl maintains that one need not understand quantum physics to grasp how electricity works in practical applications. To understand your toaster or your fax machine, it doesn't really matter whether there are electrons or not, and it's a lot easier and more fun to start with the toaster than with quarks and calculus. The book is mildly weird, often funny, always clear and easy to understand. It assumes the reader doesn't know a volt from a hole in the ground and gently leads him or her through integrated circuits, radio, oscillators and the basics of the digital revolution using examples that include green buffalo, microscopic beer parties, break-dancing chickens and naked Norwegian girls in rowboats. OK, it's more than mildly weird. The book has been reprinted numerous times since 1991 and has achieved minor cult status. Reviewed and praised in dozens of electronics and educational magazines, it is used as a text by major corporations, colleges, high schools, military schools and trade schools. It has been studied by education programs at colleges across the United States. This book was making wise cracks in the corner before anyone thought of designing books for dummies and idiots; some say it helped to inspire that industry. It may be the only "introduction to electronics books" with back cover comments by Dave Barry, Ray Bradbury, Clive Cussler, and George Garrett, as well as recomendations from Robert Hazen, Bob Mostafapour, Dr. Roger Young, Dr. Wayne Green, Scott Rundle, Brian Battles, Michelle Guido, Herb Reichert and Emil Venere. As Monitoring Times said, "Perhaps the best electronics book ever. If you'd like to learn about basic electronics but haven't been able to pull it off, get There Are No Electrons. Just trust us. Get the book."

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 5.0 based on 31 reviews)

Season of the Switch+ by Magickal Merlin (Death Valley-SoCal)

5 Stars
March 01, 2009
This was a fun read on the subject of electronics.To atune yourself with the forces of electronis,you must atune yourself with the forces of Nature.Why so many people find the subject of electronics overwhelming and foreign is simple.That as Western christian people,we have been de-sensitized to the cycles of Nature.Nikola Tesla was one of the forgotten geniuses of electronics,who was dejected by 'christian scientists',as an evil quack.Thomas Edison is remembered as the 'Wizard of Menlo Park',yet it was Tesla,who created many more non-polluting and energy-saving cost-effective inventions.I don't believe that Alva Edison was an 'evil genius',yet he believed that modern man can control the forces of the Earth.Simply by flipping a man-made switch.The business leaders sided with Edison,also ignoring Tesla's warnings of reckless fuel consumption.Tesla foresaw the long-term picture,and predicted the current energy problems,because our forefathers refused to invest in a better future for us today.-This book is written on a later grade school level.I think simple enough for high-school students to follow.This is a humourous story of the mythos side of electronics.Without the 'ghost',or mythical spirit,what good is the 'machine',or logical engine,for us earthlings?

Cool book if you are into this info! by Bradley Satz (NJ)

5 Stars
October 24, 2008
If you like the description on the back of the book you will not be disappointed.

Helped me over the hump too by Alan Venable (San Francisco, CA United States)

4 Stars
July 22, 2008
I purchased this book on impulse at an airport kiosque shortly after it first came out, in a very clunky home-drawn sort of cover. I was feeling it was high time (around age 48) that I learn or try to re-learn a few basic facts and concepts about electricity that I'd been exposed to all my life but never quite absorbed. Why? Maybe to be a little more savvy about doing electrical home repairs, to grok a little better what was going on inside computers, but mostly because I just want to understand how things (and nature) work around me. Like reviewer Godfrey I'd dawdled over this for a long time, unable to get over the hump of reading some dry explanation of this stuff. And this book worked. I got the basic feel of electronics I'd been lacking and really enjoyed the book itself, outlandish as it is. I'm guess I'm just nutty enough myself to have enjoyed Kenn's nutty little-green-men approach. Nutty to Meet You! Dr. Peanut Book #1

Great beginners book for electronics by S. Krone

5 Stars
February 19, 2008
This is by far the best beginners book on electronics that I have ever read. The book uses metaphors to teach about electronics from conductors to transistors. So simple that anyone can get a basic grasp of electronics. It's a great book to launch your study of electronics if you really want to understand what's going on in the circuit instead of just memorizing theorems.

Especially recommended for public and high school library shelves. by Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)

5 Stars
September 03, 2007
There Are No Electrons: Electronics for Earthlings is an engaging and educational introduction to the science of electronics for lay readers. Written in a narrative, storytelling style, There Are No Electrons covers basic electron theory (and why it's the "Easter Bunny" of science), voltage, current, resistance, magnetism, and much more. Written to be accessible to readers of all ages, from high school science students to the fortysomething who wonders how his computer is really powered, There Are No Electrons blends entertainment with solid information into a clear winner. Especially recommended for public and high school library shelves.

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

	Calculus for Cats by Kenn Amdahl (Author), Jim Loats (Author) This is a book for people about to take calculus, and for survivors of calculus who still wonder what it was all about. It gently explains the basic concepts and vocabulary without making the reader ever do a single problem. Even if you cringe at math, you'll enjoy the book's irreverent style and vivid imagery. A couple of hours from now, when you're done reading, you may be surprised that calculus no longer seems nearly so frightening
	Algebra Unplugged by Jim Loats (Author), Kenn Amdahl (Author) A fun little book which contains no exercises but rather simply explains the concepts, strategies, and vocabulary of algebra. What are polynomials and why do I care? What's a quadratic equation and how do I solve it? How do you multiply polynomials? What is the slope of a line? What are functions? The language is clear and often amusing. The authors assume the reader has no knowledge of algebra, and also assume he or she has forgotten how to multiply fractions and other preliminary...
	Joy Writing by Kenn Amdahl (Author) Joy Writing:Discover and Develop Your Creative Voice will make you want to write. It will also entertain, inspire, and cheer you as it nudges and teases you toward mastery of language. Novices and experienced writers alike will discover useful tips. Employing over four dozen examples ranging from Shakespeare and Steinbeck to Napoleon Dynamite and Donald Trump, the book maintains that our own favorite authors will teach us their tricks once we learn to “read like a writer.” By the author...
	Getting Started in Electronics by Forrest M. Mims III (Author) This is a complete electronics course in 128 pages! Author Forrest Mims teaches you the basics, takes you on a tour of analog and digital components, explains how they work, and shows you how they are combines for various applications. Includes circuit assembly tips and 100 electronic circuits and projects you can build and test.
	Bebop to the Boolean Boogie: An Unconventional Guide to Electronics (with CD-ROM), Second Edition by Clive Maxfield (Author) From reviews of the first edition: "If you want to be reminded of the joy of electronics, take a look at Clive (Max) Maxfield's book Bebop to the Boolean Boogie." --Computer Design "Lives up to its title as a useful and entertaining technical guide....well-suited for students, technical writers, technicians, and sales and marketing people." --Electronic Design "Writing a book like this one takes audacity! ... Maxfield writes lucidly on a variety of complex topics without...