The Student Room Group

Old copy of Ordinary Level Physics (Abbott)

Are there any serving physics teachers who have an old copy of Abbott's Ordinary Level Physics?
This is no doubt a long shot because most of the books will have, understandably, been binned down the years, with maybe just a sole copy being kept in a school for reference/in the library etc.
I would like to re-read this book I used between September 1985 and June 1987 for my Physics O level.
I wasn't a natural at physics, mainly because I always struggled a bit with maths, but I found the book to be accessible, extremely useful and well written, and lo and behold it helped me to pass!
Naturally, I would pay for any packaging and posting, and something for the book.
If any teachers in the south-east Wales area, particularly Cardiff/Caerphilly/Rhymney Valley, have a copy I could pick up that would be even better.
Thank you!
MICHAEL
Original post by MikaelPJJ
Are there any serving physics teachers who have an old copy of Abbott's Ordinary Level Physics?
This is no doubt a long shot because most of the books will have, understandably, been binned down the years, with maybe just a sole copy being kept in a school for reference/in the library etc.
I would like to re-read this book I used between September 1985 and June 1987 for my Physics O level.
I wasn't a natural at physics, mainly because I always struggled a bit with maths, but I found the book to be accessible, extremely useful and well written, and lo and behold it helped me to pass!
Naturally, I would pay for any packaging and posting, and something for the book.
If any teachers in the south-east Wales area, particularly Cardiff/Caerphilly/Rhymney Valley, have a copy I could pick up that would be even better.
Thank you!
MICHAEL


I am not sure which edition you are looking for.
There is an edition in Internet Archive that you can borrow online, Below is the link.
https://archive.org/details/ordinarylevelphy0000unse/page/n9/mode/2up
Reply 2
Original post by MikaelPJJ
Are there any serving physics teachers who have an old copy of Abbott's Ordinary Level Physics?
This is no doubt a long shot because most of the books will have, understandably, been binned down the years, with maybe just a sole copy being kept in a school for reference/in the library etc.
I would like to re-read this book I used between September 1985 and June 1987 for my Physics O level.
I wasn't a natural at physics, mainly because I always struggled a bit with maths, but I found the book to be accessible, extremely useful and well written, and lo and behold it helped me to pass!
Naturally, I would pay for any packaging and posting, and something for the book.
If any teachers in the south-east Wales area, particularly Cardiff/Caerphilly/Rhymney Valley, have a copy I could pick up that would be even better.
Thank you!
MICHAEL

There are a couple of s/h copies kicking around
https://www.abebooks.co.uk/book-search/title/ordinary-level-physics/author/abbott/
for instance
Reply 3
Original post by Eimmanuel
I am not sure which edition you are looking for.
There is an edition in Internet Archive that you can borrow online, Below is the link.
https://archive.org/details/ordinarylevelphy0000unse/page/n9/mode/2up

Hello Eimmanuel,

Thank you for your reply.

I'm recall the edition I had was first published in 1977 or thereabouts, but to be honest an earlier copy would also suffice.

Thank you for sending the link. This will be a useful first starting point.

At some point, I hope to have a copy of the book itself.

It was a remarkably good text book.

Regards

MICHAEL
Reply 4
Original post by mqb2766
There are a couple of s/h copies kicking around
https://www.abebooks.co.uk/book-search/title/ordinary-level-physics/author/abbott/
for instance

Hello there,

Thank you for the abebooks link. I've also looked on Amazon.

I'll wait to see if I a teacher perhaps has a dog-eared copy they don't mind parting with, but if there's no luck, I'll go to abebooks/Amazon.

It was a truly good text book, the like of which doesn't get seen these days.

Regards

MICHAEL
Original post by MikaelPJJ
Hello Eimmanuel,

Thank you for your reply.

I'm recall the edition I had was first published in 1977 or thereabouts, but to be honest an earlier copy would also suffice.

Thank you for sending the link. This will be a useful first starting point.

At some point, I hope to have a copy of the book itself.

It was a remarkably good text book.

Regards

MICHAEL


The physics book by Abbott that I have is this. :smile:
https://openlibrary.org/works/OL8114609W/Physics?edition=key%3A/books/OL10248106M

Seems to be very different from the 1963 edition.
Reply 6
Hello Eimmanuel,

Thank you for your reply and the link.

The 1989 edition, I would guess, without having had a chance to look at it, have been revised and updated to take account of the change in the examination system from GCE O Level/CSE to the GCSE in England, Wales and NI, and from Ordinary to Standard Grade in Scotland.

From what I gather, the last time it was published as Ordinary Level Physics was around 1984.

My school copy was a 1977 edition.

Regards

MICHAEL
Original post by MikaelPJJ
Hello Eimmanuel,

Thank you for your reply and the link.

The 1989 edition, I would guess, without having had a chance to look at it, have been revised and updated to take account of the change in the examination system from GCE O Level/CSE to the GCSE in England, Wales and NI, and from Ordinary to Standard Grade in Scotland.

From what I gather, the last time it was published as Ordinary Level Physics was around 1984.

My school copy was a 1977 edition.

Regards

MICHAEL


If you want to have a look at the content, you can follow the following link.
https://www.scribd.com/doc/284438179/Physics-by-A-F-Abbott
The quality is not good.
The content was more than what the examination system needed.

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