Jules Nijst is a retired oilwell engineer from the Netherlands. He read The Hydraulic Troubleshooting Handbook recently and sent me this note:
“I’ve received your book and what a great book this is. Brendan, this book is a delight to read. So well explained in short paragraphs to encapsulate a fact. I catch myself becoming aware all the time while reading, that it is so well written. I am retired but I bought your book basically because of the troubleshooting principles, well they are fantastic.
If I had been a mechanic, this book would be my hydraulic bible and I would have learned all the principles by heart and applied them at work and life. I will read this book many times to make sure the principles stay in place and use them when needed. It is not cheap, but worth every penny. It belongs to the two best scientific books I know. The other one is Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows.”
In the 10 years since The Hydraulic Troubleshooting Handbook was published I’ve received pages of positive reviews. But nothing quite like this one. I’m honored that Mr Nijst ranks my book as one of the two best scientific books he knows. Right alongside Donella Meadows’ classic book on systems thinking — a book that has sold over half a million copies worldwide.
Although the two books are very different, they both have one thing in common: they’re both based on principles. And just as the principles of systems thinking apply to all dynamic systems and are timeless, so too are the principles of troubleshooting.
The reality is, troubleshooting and problem solving are life skills these days. So for anyone who wants to sharpen their chops in this regard, I highly recommend both books. But if you can only stretch to one of the two and your main business, purpose or profession is hydraulics, then The Hydraulic Troubleshooting Handbook is the one to get. And I can only get away with saying this because, as Mr Nijst’s testimonial shows, I’m not the only one who thinks so.
Thinking in Systems is available from Amazon and The Hydraulic Troubleshooting Handbook is available here
Two must read books for problem solvers and troubleshooters