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Rating: 
Summary: Easy and Simple Way to Learn the Code Basics
Review: Mike Holt books are world-class, no doubt about it. If you need to learn the 1999 code (say, for certification in California) because your AHJ still uses it, then this is the volume for you. This book only covers through Article 450. If you want the same clear, graphically illustrated (two or three graphics each page that really clarify code points) and explanatory text about the rest of the 1999 code check out Volume 2, which is available from his web site, www.NECCode.com. I have many books on the NEC code, including the Delmar series by Mullins and other authors. Those are good thorough treatments for a beginning apprenticeship class, and Mike has written in-depth (and lengthy) treatments of code specifics, if that is what you want. But this book, "Understanding the National Electric Code" is simply the best general text out there; the illustrations on each page are worth the entire price. If you read it, and review the summaries and questions in it, you will be current through 1999 and readily able to apply the Code or take a test about it.
Rating:
Summary: Easy and Simple Way to Learn the Code Basics
Review: Mike Holt books are world-class, no doubt about it. If you need to learn the 1999 code (say, for certification in California) because your AHJ still uses it, then this is the volume for you. This book only covers through Article 450. If you want the same clear, graphically illustrated (two or three graphics each page that really clarify code points) and explanatory text about the rest of the 1999 code check out Volume 2, which is available from his web site, www.NECCode.com. I have many books on the NEC code, including the Delmar series by Mullins and other authors. Those are good thorough treatments for a beginning apprenticeship class, and Mike has written in-depth (and lengthy) treatments of code specifics, if that is what you want. But this book, "Understanding the National Electric Code" is simply the best general text out there; the illustrations on each page are worth the entire price. If you read it, and review the summaries and questions in it, you will be current through 1999 and readily able to apply the Code or take a test about it.
Rating:
Summary: A Great "Nuts and Bolts" study of the NEC
Review: The National Electrical Code (NEC) states that it is not intended as a design specification nor an instruction manual for untrained persons (90-1(c)). The code authors understood that training and reference books would be essential for a clear grasp of the meaning of the NEC. The book "Understanding the NEC" by Mike Holt is one such book which can help in the study of the NEC. The first four chapters of the NEC are intended to apply "generally" to the majority of the installations that the electrician makes daily. It is the first four chapters of the NEC which are the scope for this book by Holt. The "Nuts and Bolts" type of installations that we encounter daily are what this book is made of. Holt provides clear explanations and very helpful illustrations to explain the topics that are not always made clear in the NEC.As an instructor in a post secondary technical school, I have used the 1996 version of this book in my Associate's Degree level classes since it became available. I have found this book to be very informative and clearly written for use by students with little or no field experience, including very helpful illustrations. There is also a workbook available that enhances the use of this text for use in a classroom setting, or for the individual who wishes a more extensive study of the NEC's "Nuts and Bolts".
Rating: 
Summary: Rough Edges
Review: This book could have been a real "keeper" if not for the editing problems. It leaves me wondering about the accuracy of the content. There are four diagrams within the first few chapters that have exactly the same caption. Only one is correct, the other three are clearly out of context. The use of a single highlight color (blue) is annoying. For a subject that is so dependent on color codes, full color illustrations are a must. This is one corner that should not have been cut.
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