Book excerpt: NUCLEAR ENGINEERING FUNDAMENTALS is the most modern, up-to-date, and reader friendly nuclear engineering textbook on the market today. It provides a thoroughly modern alternative to classical nuclear engineering textbooks that have not been updated over the last 20 years. Printed in full color, it conveys a sense of awe and wonder to anyone interested in the field of nuclear energy. It discusses nuclear reactor design, nuclear fuel cycles, reactor thermal-hydraulics, reactor operation, reactor safety, radiation detection and protection, and the interaction of radiation with matter. It presents an in-depth introduction to the science of nuclear power, nuclear energy production, the nuclear chain reaction, nuclear cross sections, radioactivity, and radiation transport. All major types of reactors are introduced and discussed, and the role of internet tools in their analysis and design is explored. Reactor safety and reactor containment systems are explored as well. To convey the evolution of nuclear science and engineering, historical figures and their contributions to evolution of the nuclear power industry are explored. Numerous examples are provided throughout the text, and are brought to life through life-like portraits, photographs, and colorful illustrations. The text follows a well-structured pedagogical approach, and provides a wide range of student learning features not available in other textbooks including useful equations, numerous worked examples, and lists of key web resources. As a bonus, a complete Solutions Manual and .PDF slides of all figures are available to qualified instructors who adopt the text. More than any other fundamentals book in a generation, it is student-friendly, and truly impressive in its design and its scope. It can be used for a one semester, a two semester, or a three semester course in the fundamentals of nuclear power. It can also serve as a great reference book for practicing nuclear scientists and engineers. To date, it has achieved the highest overall satisfaction of any mainstream nuclear engineering textbook available on the market today.