Christopher Sterling has updated and more tightly focused George Shiers' pioneering but long out-of-print 1972 bibliography of the communications field.

In my field of research (telegraphy and submarine cables) I have found the book to be a major resource. Its comprehensive listing of source material from 1855 through today - technical books, company histories, biographies, magazine articles, websites - has led me to several previously unexplored works.

Other technologies such as telephony, electromagnetic waves, radio, military and maritime communications, electron tubes, television, video recording, fax, cable, and newer media are treated in similar depth. Sections are included of works on collecting and appreciation of vintage telegraph, telephone, radio, and television equipment, company histories, and biographies of inventors, scientists and engineers in the telecommunications field.

The book is organized by topic for browsing or research, and additional indexes by title and author's name make it easy to locate the entry for a specific item. Sources which the author considers of particular importance are noted with from one to three asterisks to highlight their status, and reading these selections would provide a comprehensive overview in each area of interest. Finally, the book includes listings of recent reprints of hard-to-find historic material.

An essential work for the collector or researcher of communications history. Highly recommended.