Rating: 
Summary: Excellent book
Review: This is by far the most enjoyable physics book I've used. A very well thought out book, clearly written and informal but not frivolous. His arguments on physical grounds were very useful inhelping to develop an intution for the subject.It is true that the derivations get less thorough towards the end of the book, but I did not think that that was detrimental. As you learn more E and M, you should be able to supply the missing steps without too much difficulty. I disagree with the reviewer who said that you have to be really good at maths - it's all somewhere in the book if you look hard enough and you learn it as you go along. I do agree, however, that there are too few examples towards the end of the book. And yes, a solution manual would be nice. So, sure, it could be improved, but I haven't seen many texts that are more engaging and more conducive to learning. I cannot comment on coverage of material as I have only completed my undergrad degree. I suppose we shall see how grad school goes.
Rating: 
Summary: You have to evaluate this one for yourself
Review: Some of you will like this book, some will hate it, and some will never crack it open to find out. It's a better introduction than some others I have seen for advanced undergraduate E&M. Griffiths has very good phyiscs; if you take the time to work out the [copious] parts of the derivations he leaves out, you will develop a good foundation. However, there are two important problems with this book. First, Griffiths leaves out way too much from his derivations. There are somethings that I saw that I couldn't make heads or tails of because sufficient information wasn't given. Further, if your math skills aren't very good, and I mean very, very good, you're screwed. There were some problems that my professor, with about forty years of experience, could not solve. Second, Griffiths can't write his way out of a paper bag. It is excruciatingly difficult to present introductory electrdynamics clearly, but it must be done. If you can't write clearly and understandibly, you have no business writing textbooks; judging from the book, Griffiths can't. Feynman is reported to have said that if something could not be presented at the level of his freshmen, then it is not truly understood. By that standard, Griffiths fails to understand a lot.
Rating: 
Summary: Good book
Review: I don't give the book five stars because it is the only E&M book I am currently familiar with and maybe there is a better book out there. As far as conceptual understanding, the book deserves 10 stars. While it is true that the "proofs by analogy" (as well as many of the problems) do not help the student learn difficult mathmatical techniques that Jackson uses, they give a student a much better physical understanding of the subject matter, better then a rigerous mathmatical proof would. If a student is already familair with boundry value problems and wants something to help him understand E&M conceptually, this book is number 1. I'm not saying the problems are easy, they just don't utilize some the the special functions and techniques required to solve certain types of difficult E&M problems.
Rating:
Summary: nice book. not as a standard textbook.
Review: The author makes you believe that electromagnetism is not that hard. It must be his informal style of writing; but his explanations are not sufficient for tackling questions he presents. I bought this book for self-study. The official textbook at my college was Wangsness and it was just formidable to look at. However, Griffiths did not really help me overcome the kind of phobia i had at the time: my real problem was mathematics. (To come to think of it, a good student does not need ``many'' books.) Well, as I said, this book does not have it all but it is a good book. Except for just one thing: I would be glad if he'd be a little more elaborate on the use of Dirac delta function. Compared to 2/e, this book is wonderfully typeset. There are some typos but corrections available at the author's homepage.
Rating:
Summary: Great for physics undergraduates
Review: This is the first math-type book that was easy to read and follow. The author uses great examples and speaks in a more informal manner. I did not find it a chore to read. The only fault I have with this book is the lack of a solutions manual and not enough sample problems. If you are a struggling physics student this is certainly the book for you.
Rating: 
Summary: Where's the Physics?
Review: While physics is heavily bounded to mathematics, it is not an excuse to set aside all intuition, reason, and common sense. Sometimes, a moment of thought can go along way in solving a problem rather than grinding out the long math. Griffith seems to have no respect for the use of reason. All his solutions, examples, and explanations are a result of calculating some integral and reading off the result. No time is spent in its interpretation or whether this is a reasonable answer. Jackson goes much further in this respect. An an introduction to electricity and magnetism I recommend Purcell. His style is based on thinking through the physics and then applying the math. Even then, he rederives certain mathematical ideas from a physics perspective giving an even greater understanding of the subject. Unfortunately, Griffith is not even a completely mathematically rigorous text. So, we have very little physics, a slop of math and no real discussion. You can see the consequences.
Rating:
Summary: Is this a physics text or book on colloquial english
Review: Please do not be deceived by the "generous" rating of 2 stars I give this deploreable "text", this is only in recognition of the quality of the exercises. Concerning Griffith's presentation, yes he seems quite an amicable fellow, yet this does not suffice for electrodynamics. Consider his by-analogy proofs. These may provide insight in some instances, but this is not by any account sufficient for a derivation of the Lienard Wiechart potentials, where he states q.e.d. after discussing the path of a train. Or how about the chapter on dielectrics. Rather than step through a laborious calculation as a true pedagogue would, he qualitatively states that a contribution is "put back in" by the "field inside." If one desires rigor in their physics, which is to be desired if one plans on weathering Jackson, then this book will leave one embittered as it did me. I wish I could recommend another text on its level, but I fortunately had access to an unpublished manuscript from which I educated myself on electrodynamics without aid of another text. For the ambitious undergraduates, pick up Jackson or Landau's Classical theory of fields rather than treat yourself to Griffiths "mastery" of colloquial english by which he makes one feel as if conversing with a psychology professor or some other laymen who would prefer to avoid the math.
Rating: 
Summary: Frustrated student
Review: I found this book to be of little to no use to me. Coupled with a mediocre professor, I was able to complete a full semester course in electricity and magnetizm learning little or nothing beyond what i had already covered in intro physics. People refer to this book as a "good reference manual." You should take this to mean that the book is a good reminder if you already know the subject, but is not something you should try to learn from. And yes, an answer key would be nice.
Rating:
Summary: A solution manual would be nice...
Review: I definitely like the everyday language of this book, but I will stand by those who wish that a solution manual were on the market.
Rating:
Summary: If I was a millionaire.....
Review: I am a graduate student of physics. I used this book as an undergraduate. It was invaluable. I understood what Electricity and Magnetism means. I used this book to study for the GRE physics test. It was invaluable. I wouldnt have made it without it. Everything was there, self contained, crystal clear. I used this book as a supplement to Jackson to the graduate school. Jackson was inpenetrable some times and this book paved the way for the more advanced material. I used this book to prepare for the comprehensive examinations of my physics department. The book was invaluable. It refreshed my memory (by that time I knew the material!) and I went quickly through solved and unsolved problems. I passed the exams. Isn't that enough ? How more usefull a book can be ? If you are a physics major you ought to yourself to buy this book. Dont complain later when you move to Jackson. If I was a millionaire I would buy this book to all the physics major of the world. Enough said.
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