Review: `An excellent text....The postulates of quantum mechanics and the mathematical underpinnings are discussed in a clear, succint manner.' - American Scientist, from a review of the First Edition Book Description
Reviews from the First Edition:
"An excellent text … The postulates of quantum mechanics and the mathematical underpinnings are discussed in a clear, succinct manner." (American Scientist)
"No matter how gently one introduces students to the concept of Dirac’s bras and kets, many are turned off. Shankar attacks the problem head-on in the first chapter, and in a very informal style suggests that there is nothing to be frightened of." (Physics Bulletin)
"This massive text of 700 and odd pages has indeed an excellent get-up, is very verbal and expressive, and has extensively worked out calculational details---all just right for a first course. The style is conversational, more like a corridor talk or lecture notes, though arranged as a text. … It would be particularly useful to beginning students and those in allied areas like quantum chemistry." (Mathematical Reviews)
R. Shankar has introduced major additions and updated key presentations in this second edition of Principles of Quantum Mechanics. New features of this innovative text include an entirely rewritten mathematical introduction, a discussion of Time-reversal invariance, and extensive coverage of a variety of path integrals and their applications. Additional highlights include:
- Clear, accessible treatment of underlying mathematics
- A review of Newtonian, Lagrangian, and Hamiltonian mechanics
- Student understanding of quantum theory is enhanced by separate treatment of mathematical theorems and physical postulates
- Unsurpassed coverage of path integrals and their relevance in contemporary physics
The requisite text for advanced undergraduate- and graduate-level students, Principles of Quantum Mechanics, Second Edition is fully referenced and is supported by many exercises and solutions. The book’s self-contained chapters also make it suitable for independent study as well as for courses in applied disciplines.

1. Mathematical Introduction
2. Review of Classical Mechanics
3. All Is Not Well with Classical Mechanics
4. The Postulates-a General Discussion
5. Simple Problems in One Dimension
6. The Classical Limit
7. The Harmonica Oscillator
8. The Path Integral Formulation of Quantum Theory
9. The Heisenberg Uncertainty Relations
10. Systems with N Degrees of Freedom
11. Symmetries and Their Consequences
12. Rotational Invariance and Angular Momentum
13. The Hydrogen Atom
14. Spin
15. Addition of Angular Momenta
16. Variational and WKB Methods
17. Time-Independent Perturbation Theory
18. Time-Dependent Perturbation Theory
19. Scattering Theory
20. The Dirac Equation