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Introduction to Chemical Principles, 6th Edition
H. Stephen Stoker. Prentice-Hall: Upper Saddle River, NJ, 1999; xiii + 706 pp. Figs. and tables. ISBN 0-13-915992-4. $50.00 (paperback).
Stoker begins in the preface of the book by stating that most introductory chemistry texts are simply "watered down versions of general chemistry texts", a comment which may apply to most comparable books. He then proceeds to state that this text does not fit into that mold, in that the 17 chapters of the book cover less material more thoroughly. He may very well be right.
There are two things that I noticed off the bat. The text uses only two-color printing on non-glossy paper, which is disappointing in this age. I also noticed that the chapter organization does not fall into the pattern of most general chemistry books, in that the naming of chemical compounds and stoichiometry (Chapters 8-10) comes after a discussion of atomic theory and molecular bonding. In fact, Stoker even has...