I read the 2nd edition from cover to cover in about 10 years. And I just read the 3rd edition in about one week. I used to say everything I knew about electronics I could find in AoE. Now I probably do know a few things that are not covered in the book.
The book cover has been upgraded from silver to flashier gold color. I don't fault them for considering it as the gold standard in books on electronics.
This book deserves a 5 star rating. The true value of the book is that it is not an academic text book. It contains a wealth of practical information, in charts, tables, and graphs, no other books come close. The jewel of the crown is the chapter on precision circuits. The chapter on noise is equally rich.
However, I did not like the elimination of the circuit ideas section and replacing it with a chapter review. Omitting the circuit construction is also a loss because prototyping and making the circuit board are an essential art that separates practitioners from theorists. I also lament the elimination of the chapter on RF. This book constantly refers the reader to the so-far unavailable "The x-Chapters" book; it is somewhat irritating to me that I'll have to get another book.
I wish it had fewer annoying trivial errors (how could you not catch a flipped diode on Fig 1.78?) ; 25 years ought to be enough to get it perfect.
So if you are a newcomer, you could still choose the 2nd edition because you can probably find a bargain now. But I won't let go my 2nd edition.
The new edition is 0.7" wider, 67 pages more with smaller font and narrower margin.
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