Masters vs Davis & Cornwell

[peacock321]

Hello everyone,

  I'm curious if one text is better than the other.  I already have Masters (Introduction to Environmental Engineering and Sciences) but was curious if I should also purchase Davis & Cornwell (Introduction to Environmental Engineering). 

  The last few people who posted in the consolated advice thread said that the Davis & Cornwell text was very helpful and was highly recommended.  

  Is there a difference?

Thank you so much for your time.   

 

[matt267 PE]

I say use the book you already own and know.

 

[FLBuff PE]

Familiarity is key, as Matt indicated. As you study, you will become intimately familiar with your references and where to find necessary info.

 

[Dleg]

I don't think you need both. I used Masters well after my PE exam for my masters degree, and thought it would have been pretty useful for the exam. I'd just stick with that.

Salvato is a nice second text, though, covering an environmental health side of environmental engineering, and providing some pretty good info on contaminants, sampling methods, and many other topics that can come up both in real life and on the exam.  I'd buy that before I'd buy another intro to environmental engineering textbook.

 

[envirotex]

I used Davis & Cornwell and found it to be extremely helpful.  It is a broad-based reference that covers most of the topics and types of questions on the exam.  The nice thing about it is that you can found used editions for pretty cheap...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00LT8QVK0/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_1_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1454005235&sr=8-1&keywords=davis+and+cornwell+5th+edition

 

[CU07]

I used Masters because it's what I had from school, and I wholeheartedly second Dleg's recommendation for Salvato's text as a second reference.  You can pick up a used single-volume edition (it's now three volumes); I used an older copy my library had and thought it was incredibly useful.

 

[peacock321]

Thank you all for your advice and help! 

I ended up ordering the international version of Davis and Cornwell and am waiting for it to arrive.  My Masters is a pretty old edition (1998)... And I already own the newest 3 book edition of Salvato.

So, I'm gearing up again and will probably seek more advice and support in the near future.  Though when I do, I'll start another thread, to keep things better organized on the board. 

 

[Dleg]

Cool.  

How do you like the 3-volume edition of Salvato?  I've got the previous (5th) edition in a single volume, and haven't felt any need to update it.  But my new job is in an environmental health department, and as the only engineer, I'm wondering if I need it to beef up my game to keep up with all the environmental health specialists. 

 

[peacock321]

Dleg,

  I like it just fine, but I don't know how to compare it to the older version since I have not seen it.  I'm slowing making my way through them now. Is your version very dated?

 

[Dleg]

It doesn't seem like it's missing much. I was thinking the new version is probably more thorough on the environmental health side of things,  like food safety and such, since those topics are given their own volume now.