BOOK REVIEW: THE MODEM REFERENCE
By (Ms.) Gail S. Thomas

Michael A. Banks, THE MODEM REFERENCE, COMPLETE GUIDE TO SELECTION, INSTALLATION AND APPLICATIONS. Foreword by Jerry Pournelle. New York: Brady/Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1988. ISBN 0-13-586646-4, paperback. 530 pages. Simon & Schuster, Inc., Gulf and Western Building, One Gulf and Western Plaza, New York, NY 10023.

THE MODEM REFERENCE represents an ambitious effort. In some respects the work comprises two books in one, dealing with not only the technical side of modems, but also the communications uses of modems. Michael A. Banks attempts to cover all the bases of modem use in 530 pages, divided into four parts, Getting Started, Making Connections, Using Online Systems, and Applications and More. The book facilitates reference not only through the detailed table of contents, utilizing headings and subheadings, but also an index, efficiently arranged to provide the modem user with information from A (accounts, online service) to Z (Z-modems). A glossary offers brief definitions of terms used in the main text. A two-page bibliography provides selected references to books and periodicals. Following a biographical sketch and a photograph of the bearded, smiling author, the book contains an unusual feature, a Shopper's Guide with advertisements for various online services, modems, software and publications, some with response coupons.

Despite the attempts to cover all the bases of modem use, the book remains stronger in some areas than in others. A note on the page containing the Library of Congress Cataloging-in- Publication data suggests the inevitable difficulties of trying to produce up-to-date information in areas where technology changes rapidly: "Every effort has been made to make this handbook as complete and factual as possible. However, the information contained herein is subject to change without notice and should not be construed as a commitment by the author, the service providers, publishers, and manufacturers...." In any rapidly evolving field, information on procedures and equipment alike tends to be outdated as soon as it is printed.

As an example of rapidly superseded information, consider the situation of obtaining college credits via online study. On pages 433 and 434 of THE MODEM REFERENCE, Mr. Banks mentions that college credit courses are available online through the Media Studies Program of the New School for Social Research as well as the Electronic University Network, including an online Masters of Business Administration degree program. Since the time that the book was prepared and published, the Media Studies Program now offers the degree of Master of Arts in Media Studies with a Technology and Society option, designed for completion totally through online study, using the facilities of the Connected Education, Inc., virtual campus. The Master of Business Administration degree program is no longer offered through the Electronic University Network by John F. Kennedy University, which has terminated the institution's Access to Learning embryonic online bulletin board-cum-campus.

These examples are not in any way meant to disparage the attempts at thoroughness that produced this book. Rather, they are merely meant to suggest the lightning speed with which changes affect the fluid world of electronic technology. THE MODEM REFERENCE should be construed as a reference and overview, not an up-to-the-second guide to the quick-changing milieu of the modem community.

Considering the rapid expansion of the modem community, the most enduring sections of Mr. Banks's book probably constitute the first half of the volume, dealing with telecommunications theory and practice, including modems and hardware. The author starts from the beginning, literally "Getting Started," beginning with "What is Telecomputing?" and proceeding from electronic mail to online transfer of information. He presents information from modems and phone jacks, through how telecomputing works, to hardware and software selection considerations.

The author organized his book logically, from the simple to the complex, using a clear style of writing and enticing page layout, with large margins, attractive contrast of typefaces and clearly reproduced diagrams and photographs. The perfect binding makes it rather difficult to open the book flat and use
it as a reference at a personal computer equipped with a modem. Thus the reader should consult the book before going online, not during the telecomputing process. While some of the information dates rapidly in a fast-growing industry, THE MODEM REFERENCE remains an otherwise ambitious survey book.

--------
author's note: (Ms.) Gail S. Thomas earned the first Masters of Arts in Media Studies degree from the New School for Social Research entirely through the Connected Education online program. She now serves on the administrative staff of Connected Education, Inc.