If I were starting out in the telecom field this would be the first book that I'd recommend that anyone read. It gives you a high level look at: what protocols do and are used for; what the primary access technologies are; a great description of the telephony system that provides the main infrastructure of the Internet; and, the primary transport technologies that are being used today. Because this is a crash course book don't look for great detail in every topic, however, if you are looking for a compendium that covers the telecomm field all in one book then this is the book you need. My networking background has been mostly in the copper and fiber optic technologies, so I found the sections about the new 802.11 wireless technologies the most interesting. But some of things that I found unique for a book like this and most fascinating are the pictures of scenes and equipment taken inside of actual telephone central offices and the anecdotes about real life happenings in the telecom world. So if you have anything to do with telecom, be it as a user, CTO, IT manager, technology student, technology teacher, marketing or sales person of telecom or buyer of telecom, then this book should have a place on your desk. The author of Telecom Crash Course, Stephen Shepard, is one of the most interesting, knowledgeable writers in the field today. He manages to turn what could be a dreadfully dull subject into a scintillating story of science, history and data communication hardware. The content is up-to-date and well organized, the illustrations very appropriate and the index very thorough. Personally, however, I find Mr. Shepherd's sense of humor in the face of such weighty topics to be the best part of my reading experience. Who else could work Vinton Cerf and Douglas Adams into the same narrative? Mr. Shepherd uses ingenious metaphors to clarify difficult concepts, as he does in the excerpt below regarding conflicting world standards. Many countries play football, for example, but the rules are all slightly different. In the United States, players are required to weigh more than a car, yet be able to run faster than one. In Australian Rules football, the game is declared forfeit if it fails to produce at least one body part amputation on the field... They are both football, however. In data communications, the problem is similar; there are many protocols out there that accomplish the same thing. Mr. Shepherd manages to infuse what could be a terribly dry catalog of facts with cheerful, sometimes almost whimsical language that keeps the reader's interest throughout the most convoluted jungle of acronyms, jargon and obscure technical terminology. I found the information in this text to be clear, logical and very helpful in leading me to a better understanding of the highly important field of 21st century telecommunications. Buy this book, you won't regret it.
