Rating: 
Summary: Excellent - a lot of tested specific information
Review: I haven't read many other books on this subject. This one seems to be full of excellent, detailed information. The information is what you can use and comes from a person that obviously has a high level of experience and knowledge on house wiring.
Rating: 
Summary: not recommended for beginners
Review: I know I'm going against the grain here, but I didn't like this book at all. It may be a fine reference for more experienced folks, but as a complete novice with no experience at all, I found it left much to be desired. Some parts of the book were better than others, but I was really quite lost with many of the descriptions of various tasks. There were a lot of passages which were incomprehensible. Features and objects were not described clearly in many cases, and terminology was used and not defined clearly. For the beginner, Black and Decker's "The Complete Guide to Home Wiring" is far better. In that book, color photos illustrate every single step. That's the kind of guidance a beginner needs.
Rating:
Summary: gold standard for modern wiring and rewiring jobs
Review: I know nothing about anything having to do with a house and despite my good understanding of physics in theory, the reality of electrons actually "moving" through wires both baffles and scares me. Though based on other reviews and on the content of this book, this is probably an excellent reference for someone who can and is actually going to do the job her/himself. Unfortunately, there is much variation among even professional electricians and I can imagine that this book would help any one - pro or DIY'er to do a top notch, above code job. For me, it will really guide us, once we are able, in choosing and working with a professional electrician and the inspector to have our house rewired and grounded in the best way possible. It's very nice to have such a credible and thorough reference so that even though this is not at all our area of expertise, we will be able to make informed decisions to assure the electrical security and functioning of our home. On the down side, for those of us who live in an old house, the wiring looks nothing like what's described in this book or most others. So, it's a great book to have for anyone, professional down to the most uninformed, electricity-handicapped consumer who nonetheless must pay an electrician for some work or other, when it comes to dealing with modern wiring or rewiring issues but it's pretty useless for figuring out what to do in an old house especially if you can't afford to rewire immediately according to the guidelines set forth in the book (in which case, the book leaves you with the feeling that your house is a fire trap on the verge of erupting into flames as the cloth insulation on all your old wiring erodes and you have wires burning up and ungrounded electricity shooting all over the place but that's not a reason not to get the book for the excellent purposes that it does serve.) One thing the book also leaves unanswered is how much of a fire hazard really is anything other than the best practices that the author recommends, particularly if one doesn't live in an area where lightening is that much of a problem? The houses in so many of these neighborhoods have been around for over 100 years with no grounding wires and probably rotted out insulation and all sorts of other problems yet it doesn't seem that much of a problem.
Rating:
Summary: Very complete, excellent illustration and easy to use.
Review: I read this book from cover to cover then I used it as a guide to completely wire a new 5 room house. I had a master eletrician inspect my work and he found everything was according to code. I have recommended this book to other people and will continue to do so.
Rating:
Summary: This is the one you want!
Review: I recently remodeled the upstairs portion of my home, adding a bath, bedroom, family room, and home office. Before starting the wiring portion, I went to the local library and checked out five books on home electrical systems and read them all. This book is the one that I renewed and kept on hand through the project. I later purchased a personal copy of it.If you are an intelligent person that wants all of the info, in understandable format, without oversimplifications, then this is the electrical book you want.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic book on home wiring
Review: I researched a lot of electrical books and wiring books before I commenced my wiring projects. Luckily, I found this one. The book is packed with outstanding, USEABLE, knowledge on beginner to intermediate level electrical projects. There were also numerous helpful diagrams that were clear and concise. I highly recommend the book, the best one on the subject that I've found so far.
Rating:
Summary: The only electrical how-to book you'll need!
Review: I was amazed at the in-depth instructions and great illustrations contained in this book. This book is up to date and very useful in understanding electrical codes. I used this as my sole reference in doing a 100% rewire of a 1927 Craftsman Style home. The electric company inspected the wiring prior to connecting the service. The inspector commented on the superior organization of the wiring and stated it was one of the best he had seen. It was 100% due to the detailed and very plainly worded content in this book. I have continued to use it in assisting other family members with electrical problems/questions.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding book indeed!
Review: I would not consider this a beginner's book at all, although, a do-it-yourselfer with some inclination towards electricity could and would definitely benefit from having this book as a reference. I enjoyed reading this book because I didn't have to wade through the waters of electrical theory just to pick up tips of the trade from another pro. It's enjoyable and pleasant reading and someone who has worked with electricity (I am a licensed electrian) can enjoy Mr. Cauldwell's "electrical humor" while maintaining respect for electricity. I believe this book is "for pros by a pro, and, in reading it, you might be abe to obtain an overall, different perspective in which to execute electrical installations beginning with choice of tools, color-coding wire, selection of products, or, simply toting your tools around in a little red wagon vs. carrying them on your hip. I also appreciate his "theme" of safety throughout the entire book.
There is nothing I didn't like about this book and I received a "red wagon" full of ideas and tips for a more than reasonable fee. Thank you Mr. Cauldwell!
Rating:
Summary: An informative, accurate, and enjoyable book !
Review: I'm an electrical engineer, but not an electrician. I've done some small wiring jobs over the years, but never had a ready source of practical information. I very much like the comparisons given between good and poor wiring practices & products. It's easy to fall into bad practices when wiring, so it's especially helpful to have the bad stuff pointed out. If there's one thing I could change about the book, I'd have a bit more emphasis on use of conduit when renovating an existing house's wiring.
Rating: 
Summary: Good for the guy who is doing his own home wiring
Review: I'm building my own house. I am a former industrial electrical engineer (I've moved on to other things). The problem with being an engineer is that I know the big picture, (I can spec a panel and size the service entrance cables in a heartbeat, I used to know the NEC like the back of my hand). The problem that I run into is figuring out the way the guys who install the stuff I spec make what I spec meet code and do it quickly and easily. This book will show you how the guys who do installations every day do them. If you understand basic electricity, this book will be a good guide to help you do an installation that will make your inspector happy.
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