Professor in Stuttgart

Textbooks can be bestsellers ...

Textbooks are the basis for good university training. Bach did not restrict himself to lamenting the lack of textbooks. He improved the situation by writing them himself. The "classic" among these was his book "The elements of machinery – their calculation and construction", the first edition of which set new standards for decades to come when published in 1881. Its status as a bestseller can be seen in the fact that it ran to thirteen editions and was translated into several languages.

Another milestone book was "Elasticity and Solidity", which appeared in 1889 and had run to a respectable 9 editions by 1924.