[EricH]

Originally Posted by DampRobot

Would a machine design textbook be a good buy/read for a prospective ME student with little to do this summer? I've heard a lot about this mythical textbook from mentors and on CD, and it sounds like it contains a lot of "real" engineering information. Any suggestions on where to buy it, or what edition (assuming there are multiple editions)?

I'll give that a Yes. And, like any college-level course, there are multiple authors and editions, which may be used by various colleges.

I use the same one that T^2 linked, down to edition. If you happen to have some ideas as to where you want to go to college, I'd suggest trying to get one from one of the college bookstores.