Rating: 
Summary: A reasonably competent grad student's view...
Review: I recently completed an grad E&M course using this book. I must say I was intimidated at first, but as I was using it, I became more and more impressed with the utility of the information and the examples. THOROUGLY understanding the examples (especially chaps. 2 & 3) is crucial to understanding later material.Our Prof. introduced the course as a math course disguised as a physics course. She wasn't kidding. Previous reviewers have indicated that a STRONG mathematical background is helpful to get the most out of the book. I wouldn't say that my math background is significantly strong. Actually, true to our instructor's word, I learned a great deal of math through the course. What I did find helpful was using D.J. Griffiths' E&M text (my undergraduate text) as a supplement to reinforce my understanding of the physics involved, then I could "see" what the mathematics describes. What this book is: It is an elegant, sophisticated presentation of one of the more difficult topics in science. What this book is NOT: It is most definitely not a self-study guide or a means for casual learning of E&M. The elegance is reflected through Prof. Jackson's economy of expression. The formulas presented are certainly useful for solving problems (also, the limitations and effective boundaries of the equations are clearly documented). I must admit that I was very fortunate to have a Prof. who understood the book at many levels, was willing to "fill in the gaps" in the terse derivations, and dilligently coached us in solving the problems. This is critical as there are many hidden (but useful) "tricks" used both in the derivations and in the problem solutions. Without this kind of "coach", only a few gifted geniuses would ever be able to get the most out of this book.
Rating:
Summary: a classic work
Review: Jackson's book would have to be one of the best texts on advanced classical physics. Jackson balances the (sometimes) involved derivations with clear physical insight. The material covered in this book is crafted so as to be useful as a reference for further study in advanced physics. Of particular note is the classical derivations and solutions of some of the various scattering problems of particle physics. These solutions provide the basic classical background to allow comparison with quantum field theoretic effects. Throughout the book there are a large number of well crafted exercises, few of which are trivial. The exercises provide the reader with some very interesting techniques for solution of classical problems. The chapters on special relativity are concise and crystal clear. They are often cited by other authors and constitute an excellent quick reference for most relativistic phenomena. It would be pointless to study using this book if the reader does not have a thorough understanding of fundamental physics and the elementary techniques of applied mathematics. Jackson assumes a basic level of maturity and does not waste time spoon feeding the reader. In summary, Jackson is an excellent book not only as a reference but also as a substantial treatise on most of the electrodynamics that will be required for research in physics and applied mathematics. It will reward the reader with a vast number of problem solving techniques and physical insight. It paves the way perfectly for future study in quantum field theory and particle physics.
Rating: 
Summary: What's the purpose?
Review: I fail to understand the purpose of writing such a book as Jacksons'. The physics is many times neglected in favor of mathematics, and yet the mathematics itself is poorly explained. It feels like studying E&M while being drunk: "you take the div of the curl, then the curl of the curl and the div of the div of the . . . " Also, Jackson takes the rather uninspiring view of teaching E&M from the unrelativistic point of view, a real shame, considering the conceptual simplification such an approach offers. Classical Electrodynamics by Julian Schwinger outrivals Jackson's book from the mathematical point of view, and is more comprehensive. Schwartz's "Principles of Electrodynamics" and Ohanian's text (forgot the name) explain the physics much better (Ohanian's book is also at a nice mathematical level). So what's the purpose of using this text?
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Advanced E&M Text
Review: This is an excellent graduate level text. It has a plethora of advanced problems--the type you don't see over and over again in all the Schaum's and undergraduate texts--and the type of problems that really make you learn something in solving them. I also havn't been bothered by annoying typos. A warning goes out to those who have yet to master undergraduate E&M and mathematical methods in physics: this book is not for you! At least, not just yet. Surely you will want to work through it once you have gained the prerequisite knowledge, but not before then.
Rating:
Summary: Jackson should be cloned
Review: This is the best physics book I have ever studied, and absolutely indispensable to anyone who has to solve real-world problems in electrodynamics! Jackson's treatment of physics is elegant and crystal-clear throughout, and he generously includes material on Legendre functions, spherical harmonics, etc. that undergraduates may not have been exposed to. However, when it comes to the mathematical verifications needed to read the book with understanding, he doesn't hold your hand. This is as it should be! Physics is not the same as mathematics, but the latter is an essential tool that every physicist must master. If you go through the book conscientiously checking and deriving all the equations, you'll end up filling a large notebook (amazingly, I didn't find any errors -- this book is rock-solid reliable). But the great thing is, you'll never have to do this again! Then you can reread Jackson without getting snowed under by what are essentially routine, but sometimes tedious, mathematical verifications; and you'll be free to savor the physics and really appreciate how great the book is. If you want some worked problems, look at The Classical Theory of Fields in the Landau-Lifshitz series. At the end of each chapter in Jackson there are excellent problems that will test your understanding. The negative reviews of Jackson can only indicate a problem with how physics is taught in graduate school. Jackson's book has to be read carefully at least twice, and preferably N times; perhaps this is too much to expect from harassed graduate students in physics. I'm a mathematician by training and was able to study Jackson's book on my own and enjoy it without being rushed for time or having to worry about being tested. With the possible exception of the volume on quantum mechanics by Landau and Lifshitz, which again requires a lot of mathematical verifications, Jackson's book has no rivals. It's a pity he didn't write any other physics textbooks.
Rating: 
Summary: THIS BOOK IS A DISGRACE TO PHYSICS.
Review: We used Jackson's "classic" in the graduate E&M class. But Jackson doesn't teach. I wound up learning the material from the instructor's handouts and help in office hours. Jackson's book falls below the threshold of being a true textbook. The book does not educate. There are zero worked examples, only bombastic dreck. The sooner this book is replaced by something user-friendly, the better.
Rating: 
Summary: The Most Pedantic Text in Physics
Review: This is the most meticulously pedantic text I have ever seen. It is its greatest virtue and its greatest vice. This book is almost perfectly correct and, to the best of my knowledge, has no typos. It covers Classical Electrodynamics more fully than any other text, especially if one pays attention to the problems in the end of each chapter. And all this makes it absolutely impossible to read. I would suggest that one use Purcell. Yes, it is a freshman book. However, it really has everything a physicist will ever need in Electromagnetism. Most importantly, unlike Jackson, it gives physical context to the mathematics. And if one ever needs more, one can use Jackson as a great, invariably correct, reference.
Rating: 
Summary: Essential book for the math of electrodynamics
Review: If you want to understand electrodynamics, don't start with Jackson. The Fynmann lecture series and Landau's series are better places to develop physical intuitions & understanding of the subject.(There are many other worthy books, this are just the first two to come to mind.) However, when you have to solve problems, you will want to have Jackson's book around. When it comes to solving the equations, I have not found its equal. Therefor, I believe it belongs on the shelf of practicing physicsts. Besides, the appendix on SI vs. cgs units is essential for anyone who reads papers from the 'golden age' of physics, which uses formulas that assume cgs units. Jackon may not be the best book to help you set up the 'physics', but is is a great book to help you solve the problems in electrodynaimcs.
Rating:
Summary: Best book of this century for Electrodynamics
Review: This is the best book in Electromagnetism I have ever read! There are a lot of good problems. If you have enough background ( studying Landau theoretical courses), you could easily go through it.
Rating:
Summary: WHO STARTED THIS TREND ANYWAY?
Review: Look, I took the usual two graduate semesters of Jackson and received a B,A respectively without hardly ever opening my Jackson text. I found it completely useless. There are so many other wonderfully explicit and dynamic texts to use other than Jackson. His text is boring and unfiling. He skips important (in my opinion crucial) steps in derivations. The problem sets are impossible and if you are one of the few to actually solve some, it is probably done via the assistance of previous graduate student's contributions... not your own. I DON'T KNOW WHO STARTED THIS TREND for making Jackson the mandatory Physics graduate text, but it is not serving its purpose. I suggest you look elsewhere for a supplemental text if you truly wish to *learn* electrodynamics and not just get through it. My suggestion.... Albert Shadowitz (Dover publications) ISBN:048665660-8. If I could, I would sell you my Jackson cheap, since I will never use it again... even to reference.
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