LaTeX Cookbook – Second Edition: Over 100 practical, ready-to-use LaTeX recipes for instant solutions

Best LaTeX book for scientists
I first encountered Stefan Kottwitz when I was teaching a course on Special Relativity and found several LaTeX- and TikZ-generated space-time diagrams he had posted on the web, which I incorporated into my course with minor modifications. Hence, I was excited to learn that he was about to publish the 2nd edition of his LaTeX Cookbook. The book far exceeds my already very high expectations. It is very well organized and comprehensive in its coverage, making it the ideal reference for everyone from the rank beginner to very sophisticated users.The book has about 150 templates that can serve as the starting point for whatever task the user has in mind, ranging from very simple (e.g. writing a letter) to very complex. Many of the templates deal with scientific topics such as graph theory, making Feynman diagrams, drawing molecules and drawing recursively defined fractals. Each topic or template is explained with “How to do it”, How it works” and “There’s more” sections. It does an excellent job of pointing the user to easy to use packages for accomplishing the task. and it points the user to the most useful features of these packages so that he/she does not get lost looking at a multitude of options. Some of the more advanced capabilities that the book delves into include making fillable forms, sophisticated graphics with TikZ, creating animations, programming with LuaLaTeX and using Artificial Intelligence. Finally, it is worth mentioning that for those who want to delve further into graphics the author has an entire other book on LaTeX Graphics with TikZ.My only suggestion for improvement is that, for physicists, it would be helpful to have some discussion of the features of REVTEX.

Instant solutions indeed
With countless practical examples of LaTeX in action, “LaTeX Cookbook” is a must buy for for enthusiasts or those looking to level up their document processing. The book is intelligently organized, allowing readers to quickly find the section applicable to their use case. A motivated beginner with clear intention can rely on this book to accomplish their goal, broadening and deepening their LaTeX skills along the way.Particularly appealing to me is the conversational style of the book, with code snippets interspersed between English. Stefan presents a problem, and then tells you “How to do it…”. The sequencing of topics builds on itself, allowing the book to be readable in addition to quickly accessible. The “There’s more…” sections allow for further exploration.Overall, I recommend it.

Great read…very helpful
I have been writing lectures and other academic papers using LaTex for many years. This book is a great reference and I book I turn to for quick easy answers. I also read through the pages looking for new ways to do what I already do. My intention is to put together a course for my STEM students to take and this book will be integral to the class.

Excellent reference for Writing Algorithms in Latex
Having had the opportunity to use Stefan’s previous book, “LATEX Graphics with TikZ” I can confidently say that, “LaTeX cookbook-second edition” is a masterpiece. Anyone having a basic understanding of LATEX packages, and desire to upskill their knowledge should have it on their shelf.One thing which caught my attention was the ease to write pseudcodes and optimize pdf docs. Having some experience in embedding pseudocode in a pdf doc, I am certain that the strategy provided in this book is a good life saver. And the explanations added by Stefan under the heading “How it works” is an icing. Often we just copy and paste the code from the internet without exactly comprehending the logic under the hood. But the author has taken the pains for the average user to know how the commands work.Thanks again Stefan.

“The LaTeX Cookbook – Second Edition” by Stefan Kottwitz provides over 100 recipes for LaTeX writers within approximately 400 pages. It caters to readers of all levels, whether beginners or experienced users, by offering useful step-by-step instructions.The book follows the structure of a traditional cookbook, where Kottwitz lists the ingredients needed to complete each recipe, provides instructions on how to follow the recipe, and often displays the final product. He also explains how each LaTeX command works, so readers can customize the recipe to their needs.For those interested in learning more, there is a “There’s more…” section that explains how to further customize the result and provides valuable links to external resources for deeper understanding.The book is highly structured, and the examples provided are restricted to what readers need to understand the mechanisms thoroughly. The examples can be downloaded, making them immediately usable and increasing productivity. Additionally, Kottwitz provides tips for further research on the internet for readers who want to delve deeper into the subject.The book covers a wide range of topics, including creating simple text documents, developing theses, building posters, creating mathematical plots, building word clouds, presenting parts of a periodic table, and much more. The author even includes a chapter discussing the use of AI and finding help on the internet.After just a few days with the book, my productivity has significantly increased, and my understanding of LaTeX has improved greatly.