Rating: 
Summary: Too Elementary
Review: This book certainly offers some insights into QFT difficult to find elsewhere. Most particularly I appreciated Zee's discussion on the relationship between the propagator of the field and the force exerted by the field. He makes frequent appeals to dimensional analysis, treats gravity throughout and includes chapters relating to statistical mechanics. It is a thoroughly modern text. Zee's purpose in writing this book was to present the conceptual aspects of QFT with as little mathematics as possible. As such he does a commendable job giving the reader an intuition for the subject that specialists in the field undoubtably take years to develop. The most stiking impression I had reading this book is that the author must be very experienced in teaching QFT as his pedagogy appears very refined.Now I must add some personal opinions of what I think could have been improved. First there is an irony in teaching any subject that is mathematics based. By downplaying the mathematics the concept may in fact become more obscured than clarified. Sometimes a rigorous mathematical approach is THE way to illuminate the material and without it the careful student is left with an uneasy feeling of being able to explain the material to a layperson but lacking a mastery of it himself. Second, the section on renormalization is too brief. The reader will have to confer with other texts. In conclusion this book is a taste of quantum field theory only. It is a first step to be followed by more detailed and rigorous works. In fact I believe it serves best as a suppliment to a more traditional approach.
Rating: 
Summary: Billy D. Jones, theoretical physicist
Review: This book is awesome.
It's for the beginner.
It's for the expert.
It's for the next generation...
Rating: 
Summary: Not For Beginers
Review: This Book is not that easy as most reviewers say ,any one wishes
to buy this book must be ready for the high Math. in this book,
for me i cann't give any stars(sorry one star by force from amazon) for this book since i am not in a position to do so ,i have returned the book back to amazon and still looking for more elementary book ,
This Book is for people holding degrees Higher than Phd. in math.
Rating:
Summary: Best QFT Book
Review: This is by far the most readable quantum field theory text I have come across. Believe it or not, many of the concepts like path integrals come across in this book crystal clear. Great discussion of many topics like the Dirac equation. If you have had trouble with field theory books, take a stab at this one. I guarantee you will find it much more readable than any other QFT text, yet it still contains everything you need to know. After you study this one then you can tackle a more substantial book like Weinberg, and do so more confidently.
Rating:
Summary: with virtues and problems
Review: This is the best introductory book in QFT available. It is complete, with both Lorentzian and Galilean fields,
and with care for the discussions to be really introductory. Confusions phrase: if you worry about small lambda I will be
worrying about big Lambda, is the funniest thing I ever read in
a mathematics book. I will give it 4 stars for the nonsatisfactory coverage of renormalization. I think that when a physical theory is not pure
mathematics it is not satisfactory. Yet (i do not know if
it is Dr Zee's exposition or a grave problem of QFT, the
renormalization procedure looks a cheap way to get correct answers. A really mathematical exposition would start from
a theory and deduce all results; instaed the hopus-pocus
of renormalization appears. The latter was the reason I
never thought of specializing in QFT some time ago,
and after some years I see that the problem remains. But nice effort!
Rating:
Summary: Billy D. Jones, theoretical physicist
Review: This Quantum Field Theory text stands apart from others in so many ways that it's difficult to list them all :-). A very unique QFT introductory text.
One problem with learning QFT is that it is so easy to get lost in the mathematical details that the core physics concepts often get obscured.
In my opinion, Tony Zee overcomes this particular problem quite successfully. He keeps algebra to a bare minimum, and tries to find the shortest route to the physics ideas. He chooses examples that illustrate concepts in the fastest possible way.
The chapters are short. So refreshing! Each chapter has one or two core ideas. You can go through one in ten minutes (glossing over the math), and then you go back and do the math.
Part I (first eighty or so pages) is called "Motivation and Foundation" and is a rapid introduction to QFT. It is also a summary and sweeping overview --- introducing path integrals and Feynman diagrams and making a very intuitive transition from Quantum mechanics to Field theory.
The next three parts cover spin-1/2 particles (Dirac spinors), renormalization, and symmetry (breaking), standard fare for QFT texts. A sampling of condensed-matter applications is given in Parts V & VI, and then current high-energy topics are treated in parts VII & VIII.
The applications make this text stand out. There is a selection of advanced current topics like the quantum hall physics, surface growth, string theory, D-branes and quantum gravity, not usually found in introductory field theory texts. Of course none of these topics can be done justice in a book at this level, but getting a taste of advanced issues is a great treat.
The exposition is breezy and chatty, as the author admits was his intention. The text is never boring to read, and is at times very, very funny. Puns and jokes abound, as do anecdotes involving the inventors of QFT.
Renormalization is discussed through a lively dialog between student Confusio, a female Smart Experimentalist (SE), and a senior (Egghead) theorist. Ode to Galileo! Section headings alternate between serious and hilarious --- one section is called "Wisdom of the son-in-law". The path integral formulation of quantum mechanics comes out of a conversation between a teacher and a "wise-guy" student, who happens to be Feynman.
And so on and so forth.
The net result is a book which is much easier, and more fun, to read than any of the other common QFT books out there. Tony Zee's skills as a popular physics writer have been used to excellent effect in writing this textbook.
One more distinctive feature is that there is equal emphasis on condensed-matter and high-energy applications. Most QFT texts today, unfortunately, are so biased toward particle-physics that they tend to put off condensed-matter students. A. Zee has broken the mold!
Is the treatment "over"-simplified? Maybe simplified, but not dumbed-down. The high concept-to-pain ratio certainly seems worth the simplification.
Is this text only good as a supplement? Well, it is after all a "Nutshell", so maybe other texts are better for details. But as an introduction to QFT concepts, few other books match this.
Wholeheartedly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Funny, chatty, physical. QFT education transformed!!
Review: This Quantum Field Theory text stands apart from others in so many ways that it's difficult to list them all :-). A very unique QFT introductory text. One problem with learning QFT is that it is so easy to get lost in the mathematical details that the core physics concepts often get obscured. In my opinion, Tony Zee overcomes this particular problem quite successfully. He keeps algebra to a bare minimum, and tries to find the shortest route to the physics ideas. He chooses examples that illustrate concepts in the fastest possible way. The chapters are short. So refreshing! Each chapter has one or two core ideas. You can go through one in ten minutes (glossing over the math), and then you go back and do the math. Part I (first eighty or so pages) is called "Motivation and Foundation" and is a rapid introduction to QFT. It is also a summary and sweeping overview --- introducing path integrals and Feynman diagrams and making a very intuitive transition from Quantum mechanics to Field theory. The next three parts cover spin-1/2 particles (Dirac spinors), renormalization, and symmetry (breaking), standard fare for QFT texts. A sampling of condensed-matter applications is given in Parts V & VI, and then current high-energy topics are treated in parts VII & VIII. The applications make this text stand out. There is a selection of advanced current topics like the quantum hall physics, surface growth, string theory, D-branes and quantum garavity, not usually found in introductory field theory texts. Of course none of these topics can be done justice in a book at this level, but getting a taste of advanced issues is a great treat.
The exposition is breezy and chatty, as the author admits was his intention. The text is never boring to read, and is at times very, very funny. Puns and jokes abound, as do anecdotes involving the inventors of QFT. Renormalization is discussed through a lively dialog between student Confusio, a female Smart Experimentalist (SE), and a senior (Egghead) theorist. Ode to Galileo! Section headings alternate between serious and hilarious --- one section is called "Wisdom of the son-in-law". The path integral formulation of quantum mechanics comes out of a conversation between a teacher and a "wise-guy" student, who happens to be Feynman. And so on and so forth. The net result is a book which is much easier, and more fun, to read than any of the other common QFT books out there. Tony Zee's skills as a popular physics writer have been used to excellent effect in writing this textbook. One more distinctive feature is that there is equal emphasis on condensed-matter and high-energy applications. Most QFT texts today, unfortunately, are so biased toward particle-physics that they tend to put off condensed-matter students. A. Zee has broken the mold! Is the treatment "over"-simplified? Maybe simplified, but not dumbed-down. The high concept-to-pain ratio certainly seems worth the simplification. Is this text only good as a supplement? Well, it is after all a "Nutshell", so maybe other texts are better for details. But as an introduction to QFT concepts, few other books match this. Wholeheartedly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: not rigorous
Review: well it seems that i'm definitely in the minority here, but, since i actually went ahead and bought this book based on all the previous glowing amazon reviews, i am now presumably entitled to provide my own opinion... i'm sure professor zee is a great and really smart guy BUT - don't buy this book if you're looking for a "rigorous" intro to field theory, you simply won't get that here. this book is practically one step from a popular science book! i am sorry but i have only the poor student in mind who can't afford to shell out money like this without careful consideration - i am one of them, and for this reason i feel i must bring some balance to the proceedings! are all the previous reviewers related i wonder? anyway... i am sorry i bought this book. apologies professor zee. some parts of this book are quite nice to read, but overall it reads like a second-rate feynman lecture, i'm still not sure "what the graviton listens to" i consider myself a reasonably good graduate student of theoretical physics but if you are looking to choose carefully and learn the subject properly, let me repeat that - properly, then i say again this book will do you no favours. again, apologies, clearly some effort went into this work but five stars? come on guys!
Rating:
Summary: Seeing the Forest from the Trees
Review: Zee's new book ``QFT in a Nutshell" is like a breeze of fresh air. A real literary gem which will be useful for students
who make their first steps in this difficult subject and an enjoyable treat for experts, who will find new and deep insights. Indeed, the Nutshell is like a bright light source shining among tall and heavy trees - the many more formal books that exist - and helps seeing the forest as a whole! A major advantage of this book is that it makes a broad lense exposition of the robust applications QFT has in all areas of
theoretical physics, beyond the traditional application to high energy physics, especially in condensed matter physics, as well as in other branches of science. In that respect, it is unprecendented, to the best of my knowledge. I have been practicing QFT during the past two decades and with all my experiecne I was thrilled with enjoyment when I read some of the sections, such as the beautiful section on Coulomb and Newton: how QFT is capable of predicting, at a very minimal effort, that like charges must repel and that masses must attract. I have not seen this beautiful explanation in more
rigorous QFT books. On top of this there is the cornucopia in parts V & VI on QFT treatment of collective phenomena and problems in condensed matter physics, and above all, part VIII about gravity and beyond. On my shelf I have quite a few books on QFT. Among them (and absolutely without disreputing other books) are Steve Weinberg's authoritative deep and wonderful triology, Jean Zinn-Justin's usful gigantic opus, and Tony Zee's Nutshell. I mainly work with
these three books which together patch the manifold which is QFT so effectively!
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