atives ▁ ▁Append ix ▁B : ▁Mag net ic ▁Systems ▁ ▁General ▁References ▁ ▁Index ▁ ▁Re ception ▁ ▁Robert ▁B . ▁Griff ith s , ▁a ▁special ist ▁in ▁therm od ynam ics ▁and ▁statistical ▁mechan ics ▁at ▁the ▁Car neg ie ▁M ell on ▁University , ▁commented ▁that ▁both ▁ed itions ▁of ▁this ▁book ▁presents ▁clearly ▁and ▁conc is ely ▁the ▁core ▁of ▁therm od ynam ics ▁within ▁the ▁first ▁eight ▁chap ters . ▁At ▁the ▁time ▁of ▁writing ▁( 1 9 8 7 ), ▁Griff ith s ▁knew ▁of ▁books ▁that ▁explained ▁the ▁principles ▁of ▁therm od ynam ics , ▁but ▁C allen ' s ▁was ▁had ▁the ▁best ▁presentation ▁of ▁the ▁material . ▁He ▁believed ▁C allen ▁offered ▁a ▁ped agog ical , ▁if ▁ab rupt , ▁treatment ▁of ▁the ▁subject . ▁His ▁book ▁begins ▁in ▁an ▁abstract ▁manner , ▁assuming ▁the ▁existence ▁and ▁properties ▁of ▁entropy ▁and ▁derive ▁the ▁consequences ▁for ▁various ▁processes ▁of ▁interest ▁rather ▁than ▁through ▁heat ▁engines ▁and ▁therm od ynamic ▁cycles ▁or ▁by ▁statistical ▁mechan ics ▁and ▁Bol tz mann ' s ▁entropy ▁formula ▁. ▁However , ▁he ▁argued ▁that ▁C allen ' s ▁treatment ▁of ▁critical ▁phen omena ▁( Ch apter ▁ 1 0 ) ▁contains ▁some ▁technical ▁fla ws . ▁C allen ▁thought ▁that ▁classical ▁analysis ▁had ▁broken ▁down . ▁But ▁Griff ith s ▁wrote ▁that ▁the ▁problem ▁lies ▁not ▁in ▁the ▁break down ▁of ▁therm od ynam ics ▁but ▁rather ▁the ▁Taylor - exp ansion ▁of ▁therm od ynamic ▁quantities ,