If there was one book that Information Professionals should have on their bookshelf, it should be Newton’s Telecom Dictionary.  I recommend this to every new information technology manager, manager of system administrators, IT consultant, and help desk technician.

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This book has so many wonderful features that it is hard to limit my praise to just a few.  I believe that its format, context, and thoroughness are what makes it so great. 

The format of this work is one of its truly strong points.  It is organized just like a standard dictionary.  This means that you get two dense columns per page of information with illustrations.  This means that you often find just as much relevant information from the entries near the actual topic that you are looking up as you do from your target.  It also means that you only have to be 65% accurate on the spelling to hit your goal.  The illustrations are great because you can actually search the book by looking for pictures of your connector or cable so long as you have an idea of its name.  The density is even useful because you can almost always drill down on 2-3 pages instead of dozens.  These are huge advantages over a Wikipedia search.

I always point out the context this book employs to unfamiliar colleagues.  It assumes that you have a bachelors level of technical education for search, but offers PhD levels of technical specificity.  It is refreshing to use a reference book that does not treat you like an idiot.  Concepts like bus, CPU, and networking are assumed so this is not a “Tech for Dummies” book.  The entries that you will find always start basically, but then contain enough technical detail to let you get the job done.

I have never once found a networking or computer term older than two years that was not contained in this book.  That makes it as thorough as I and you need. Its inclusion of very old terms and tech has saved my bacon on a number of occasions when I needed to refresh, discover, or come up-to-speed on a protocol that I had forgotten or never seen before.  This can be a real life saver if you are working in an enterprise that might be upgrade challenged like government or education.  This tome can be your guide to the outmoded, but fully functioning standards that are often found there.

My only constructive criticisms of this fine work are twofold.  First, I wish that it was available in color.  The black and white drawings are reminiscent of the dictionaries that it is named after, but leave you wanting for more.  Color would enhance the product.  Second, a reference like this almost needs to be updated on a yearly basis like the Encyclopedias used to be.  With the accelerating pace of technology development, a four year gap can create chasms in knowledge of the latest and greatest.  I would pay for more frequent updates to the work.  [UPDATE: Since I initially drafted this review, it has been announced that The Newton Telecom Dictionary is now going to be updated and published annually!  I guess that I was not the only one who had this recommendation.  Another great example of the quality of this group’s dedication to their core customers.]

If you are an information professional, manage them, or consult for them, this reference is one that you should have access to.  Besides filling in when you forget, introducing you when you have never seen, and teaching you new things, this book can serve as your super-geek when needed.  I highly recommend the Newton’s Telecom Dictionary.

This is my Information Technology (IT) Thought of the Day (ITTOD) for October 6, 2009.

Image credit: Amazon.com

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