J. P. Den Hartog: The Reprint Engineer
J. P. Den Hartog (1901-1989), who taught for most of his career at MIT, was one of the founders of the Dover reprint program in engineering. As the author of several books that Dover reprinted and still has in print, and as an advisor from the 1950s until just a few years before his death in 1989, Professor Den Hartog gave invaluable advice concerning books of lasting interest and importance in his field.
Not many books in engineering have a productive shelf life spanning several decades. Among the exceptions are these four books of Professor Den Hartog, which Dover reprinted and occasionally revised in later printings from 1961 through 1987: Mechanics, 1961, Strength of Materials, 1961, Mechanical Vibrations, 1985, and Advanced Strength of Materials, 1987. Still widely read and cited by authors in these areas, Den Hartog's books are a tribute to his gift for exposition and clarity.
The J. P. Den Hartog Award, established in 1987, is presented in recognition of lifetime contributions to the teaching and practice of vibration engineering.