This introduction to electrical drives deals with aspects of both DC and AC motors, the dynamics of the drive system, inherent steady state characteristics of DC and AC motors, and the varieties of methods used to modify these characteristics to suit specific requirements. The author discusses the most important transient processes: starting and braking and different methods used to estimate the rating of motors subjected to different load cycles. One chapter is devoted to the increasingly popular thyristor controlled drive. Solved and unsolved problems are provided to illustrate the concepts presented.