April 26, 2026
Hot takes, cold equations
Free Textbook on Engineering Thermodynamics
Students cheer, Amazon gets side‑eye, and a 40MB PDF starts a file‑size fight
TLDR: A free, 330‑page thermodynamics book is out with transparent pricing, sparking praise and questions about where print money goes, plus jokes about its 40MB PDF. Commenters also debated scope (chemical vs. mechanical) and celebrated relief from pricey textbooks, highlighting how open access matters worldwide.
A free, 330‑page thermodynamics textbook just dropped from Dr. Olivier Cleynen, and the crowd went full lab‑goggles. The book is free to download, licensed to share, with a €2 pay option that sends €1.5 to the author, and a €43 print where he earns €5. That price breakdown lit the comments on fire: one user asked where the other ~85% goes, and suddenly everyone was running back‑of‑the‑napkin budgets and giving major side‑eye to Amazon and publishers. Another reader wanted to know if it’s the “chemical” or “mechanical” flavor—judging by the engines and refrigerators chapters, the vibe feels more mechanical‑leaning, but the community is split on the label.
Then the vibe swerved to tech‑support mode: someone flagged the 40MB PDF and begged for compression, spawning jokes about applying a “thermo cycle” to the file. The global reality check hit hard too—one commenter said textbooks in their country are brutally expensive (name‑drop: Spivak’s calculus at $100), turning this free release into a tiny revolution. Meanwhile, the nerdier corner asked for deeper coverage of “equations of state” (translation: how fluids behave under different conditions). Verdict from the thread: huge gratitude for the free, transparent release, spicy suspicion about print margins, and a chorus chanting “great book—now make it smaller and even nerdier.”
Key Points
- •A 330‑page international SI-unit edition of “Engineering Thermodynamics” is available free under CC BY‑SA 4.0.
- •Formats include a free 40 MB PDF, a 2 € download (author earns 1.5 €), and a 43 € black‑and‑white print edition (author earns 5 €).
- •The book offers 59 fully commented examples and 96 problems with solutions, plus clear theory sections and illustrations.
- •Content spans fundamentals, closed/open systems, ideal gas, liquids/vapors, cycles, second law, entropy, and steam/air-based power cycles.
- •Appendices provide steam tables (from freesteamtables.com), SI conversions, bibliography, symbols, and index; the English edition is translated from a French third edition.