THE COMMISSIONERS’ INTERNET RESOURCES WORKSHOP
   
Version 2.0 - February 1996
Prepared by:  Michael F. Bowman

Part 2:  	BEGINNING BASICS -- EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO 	KNOW ABOUT E-MAIL:  USING INFORMATION
	TECHNOLOGIES TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATIONS

Section 3:  Resource Books on the Internet

TABLE OF CONTENTS
 	PART 2 - Beginning Basics -- Everything You Wanted to Know 					About E-Mail:  Using Information Technologies to 
				Improve Communications
		3. 	Resource Books on the Internet
			(This bibliography is dated, but is still useful)

			Books on Hooking Up to the Internet
	
			Books for New Internet Users

			Online Resources for Experienced Internet Users

Return to Commissioners' Internet Resources Workshop Introduction page.

THE COMMISSIONER’S INTERNET RESOURCES 
WORKSHOP PART 2

Section 3 -- Resource Books on the Internet

Although the information in this section may be dated, I have still included it to give you an idea of some of the resources out there to make it easy to understand how the Internet works and how you can use the Internet.  Please be aware that the pricing on some of these books may have changed and/or that more recent editions may be available.

           
BOOKS ON HOOKING UP TO THE INTERNET
Engle, Mary, Marilyn Lutz, William W. Jones, Jr., and Genevieve Engel, Internet Connections: A Librarian's Guide to Dial-Up Access and Use, Lita Monographs 3. Chicago: Library and Information Technology Association, 1993, 166 pp. ISBN 0-8389-7677-8, US $22.00.
Estrada, Susan, Connecting to the Internet: An O'Reilly Buyer's Guide, Sebastapol, CA: O'Reilly & Associates, 1993, 170 pp. ISBN 1-56592-061-9, US $15.95.
Notess, Greg R., Internet Access Providers: An International Resource Directory, Westport, CT: Meckler, 1993. ISBN 0-88736-933-2, US $22.95.

BOOKS FOR NEW INTERNET USERS

The Internet Unleashed , Indianapolis: SAMS Publishing, 1994, 1,387 pp. ISBN 0-672-30466-X, US $44.95. (Contains chapters written by over 40 prominent Internet experts. This was the most comprehensive, and most expensive, Internet reference currently available in 1994, but not recommended for the beginning user)
Aboba, Bernard, The Online User's Encyclopedia: Bulletin Boards and Beyond, Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1994, 806 pp. ISBN 0-201-62214-9, US $32.95.  (A comprehensive work, covering everything from the basics of computer communications, to using local bulletin boards, to the intricacies of the Internet.)
Badgett, Tom and Corey Sandler, Welcome to the Internet: From Mystery to Mastery, New York: MIS Press, 1993, 324 pp. ISBN 1-55828-308-0, US $19.95. (A self-instruction handbook.)
Braun, Eric, The Complete Internet Directory, New York: Fawcett, 1993, 704 pp. ISBN 0-449-90898-4, US $25.00. (A directory of newsgroups, discussion lists, ftp sites, and more, with just a few pages on how to use these resources. This directory, Hahn and Stout's Internet Yellow Pages, or Rittner's Whole Earth Online Almanac, may be useful as a companion to one of the "how-to" guidebooks).
Dern, Daniel P, The Internet Guide for New Users, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1994, 570 pp. ISBN 0-07-016510-6, US $40.00 (hardcover); ISBN 0-07-016511-4, US$27.95 (paper). (Dern is the former editor of Internet World magazine and author of numerous articles on the Internet.)
December, John & Neil Randal, World Wide Web Unleashed, Sams Publishing ISBN 0-672-30617-4 $35.00 1-800-428-5331. This book is a must for anyone interested in using the WWW Front Pages.
Eddings, Joshua, Ho w the Internet Works, Emeryville, CA: Ziff-Davis Press, 1994, 218 pp. ISBN 1-56276-192-7, US $24.95. (Explains some of the technology behind the Internet. Examples of resources are very short and selective; definitely not a resource guide.)
Engst, Adam, Internet Starter Kit for Macintosh, Indianapolis: Hayden Press, 1993. 641 pp. ISBN 1-56830-064-6, US $19.95. (Highly recommended by Mac users, many of whom preferred this to the Fraase book listed below.  Comes with a disk containing a variety of Internet access software, including a "legal copy of MacTCP 2.0.2.")
Falk, Bennett, The Internet Roadmap, San Francisco: SYBEX, 1994, 263 pp. ISBN 0-7821-1365-6, US $12.99. 
Fisher, Sharon, Riding the Internet Highway, Carmel, Indiana: New Riders Pub., 1993, 266 pp. ISBN 1-56205-192-X, US $16.95.  

Fraase, Michael, The Mac Internet Tour Guide: Cruising the Internet the Easy Way, Chapel Hill, NC: Ventana Press, 1993, 288 pp. ISBN 1-56604-062-0, US $27.95. (The first Internet guide written for Macintosh users; includes a 800K disc containing useful software.)  
Fraase, Michael, The PC Internet Tour Guide: Cruising the Internet the Easy Way, Chapel Hill: Ventana Press, 1994. ISBN 1-56604-084-1, US $24.95. 
Fraase, Michael, The Windows Internet Tour Guide: Cruising the Internet the Easy Way, Chapel Hill, NC: Ventana Press, 1994, 344 pp. ISBN 1-56604-081-7,  $24.95. (Graphics and sample screens, but coverage is selective; e.g., World-Wide Web is omitted.)
Gardner, James, A DOS User's Guide to the Internet, Waterloo, ON, Canada: MKS [Mortice Kern Systems], 1993.
Gilster, Paul, The Internet Navigator, New York: John Wiley, 1993, 470 pp.  ISBN 0-471-9782-1, US $24.95. (Good for the individual dial-up user. Contains useful background information on the workings of the Internet and the organizations behind it.)
Hahn, Harley & Rick Stout, The Internet Complete Reference, Berkeley:  Osborne McGraw-Hill, 1993, 818 pp. ISBN 0-07-881980-6, US $29.95. (At 800+ pages, it is among the most comprehensive and best Internet reference works. This is my personal preference due to ease of use and completeness of information. It is easy to use and very informative.)
Hahn, Harley, and Rick Stout, The Internet Yellow Pages, Berkeley, CA:  Osborne McGraw-Hill, 1994, 447 pp. ISBN 0-07-882023-5, US $27.95. (An easy-to-use directory of Internet resources, and an excellent companion to Hahn and Stout's The Internet Complete Reference.)
Heslop, Brent and David Angell, The Instant Internet Guide, Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1994, 209 pp. ISBN 0-201-62707-8, US $14.95. 
Hoffman, Paul E., Internet Instant Reference, San Francisco: SYBEX, 1994, 317 pp. ISBN 0-7821-1512-8, US$12.99. (A pocket guide to Internet terms and concepts, for both beginning and advanced Internet users.)
Jaffe, Lee David., Introducing the Internet: A Trainer's Workshop, (Internet Workshop Series, Number 1.) Berkeley, CA: ibrary Solutions Press, 1994, 92 pp. ISBN 1-882208-05-6, US $30.00 (US $45.00 with diskette). (The first in a series of supplements to Crossing the Internet Threshold, by Tennant, Ober, and Lipow. Based on an actual trainer's handouts and script, it may also be used as a self-instruction workbook.)
Kehoe, Brendan, Zen and the Art of the Internet: A Beginner's Guide, 3rd ed., Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1994., 193 pp. ISBN 0-13-121492-6, US $23.95. (One of the first and most popular guides to the Internet. The first edition was distributed for free on the Internet, and is still available at many anonymous ftp sites, e.g. nic.merit.edu/introducing.the.internet, filename zen.txt.)
Kochmer, Jonathan and NorthWestNet, The Internet Passport: NorthWestNet's Guide to Our World Online, 4th ed. Bellevue, WA: NorthWestNet, 1993, 515 pp. ISBN 0-9635281-0-6, US $29.95. (A comprehensive guide to Internet resources, comparable to Krol's The Whole Internet, but even broader in scope. It covers a number of areas that other guides ignore.)
Krol, Ed, The Whole Internet: User's Guide & Catalog. 2nd ed. Sebastapol, CA: O'Reilly & Associates, 1994, 543 pp. ISBN 1-56592-063-5, US $24.95. (For most of 1993 this was the successor to Zen as the essential guide to the Internet, and is still regarded by many as the best of the Internet books. However, the availability of other books like Gilster's makes Krol's Unix bias more evident. Recommended especially for users of Unix systems.)
Lambert, Steve & Walt Howe, Internet Basics, New York: Random House, 1993, 495 pp. SBN 0-679-75023-1, US $27.00. (Although this is a good,general guide to the Internet for any user, it is especially useful for those who access the Internet through the commercial Delphi information service. Howe is the sysop of the Delphi Internet SIG.)
LaQuey, Tracy, The Internet Companion Plus: A Beginner's Start-Up Kit for Global Networking, Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1993, 196 pp. ISBN 0-201-62719-1, US$19.95. (A good guide for the true beginner, useful even for the pre-beginner who has not yet signed on to the Internet.)
Levine, John R. and Carol Baroudi, The Internet for Dummies, San Mateo, California: IDG Books, 1993, 355 pp. ISBN 1-56884-024-1, US $19.95. (A very useful, well organized, and readable book, one of the publisher's popular "... for Dummies" series.)
Marine, April; Kirkpatric, Susan; Neou, Vivian; and Ward, Carol, Internet: Getting Started, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: PTR Prentice Hall, 1992, 360 pp. ISBN 0-13-327933-2, US $28.00. (Includes useful information on how to obtain Internet access, as well as other technical reference material.)
Pike, Mary Ann and Tod G. Pike, The Internet Quick Start, Indianapolis: Que Corp., 1994, 387 pp. ISBN 1-56529-658-3, US $21.99. (Contains separate chapters on "Using the Internet via" CompuServe, AOL, DELPHI, and Unix systems.)
Quarterman, John S., The Matrix: Computer Networks and Conferencing Systems Worldwide, Bedford, MA: Digital Press, 1990, 719 pp. ISBN 1-55558-033-5, US $49.95. (A guide to the history and present--as of 1990--state of the Internet and its component and related networks. Recommended for those who want to learn the background and history of the Internet.) 

Randall, Neil, Teach Yourself the Internet: Around the World in 21 Days,  Indianapolis, IN: AMS Publishing, 1994, 676 pp. ISBN 0-672-30519-4, US $25.00. (A remarkably comprehensive workbook and resource guide, generously illustrated; its greatest strength is its systematic approach to gaining familiarity with the scope of the Internet.)
Rittner, Don., The Whole Earth Online Almanac, New York: Brady Publishing, 1993, 545 pp. ISBN 1-56686-090-3, US $32.95. (Another directory of online resources, this one attempts to cover not only Internet, but also Fidonet and commercial services like America Online and CompuServe, and even local BBSes.)
Robinson, David F.W., All About Internet FTP: Learning and Teaching to Transfer Files on the Internet, (Internet Workshop Series, Number 2.)  Berkeley, CA: Library Solutions Press, 1994. 90 pp. ISBN 1-882208-06-4, US$30.00 (US $45.00 with diskette). (The second supplement to Crossing the Internet Threshold; suitable for use either by trainers or as a self-teaching workbook.)
Sachs, David and Henry Stairs, Hands-On Internet: A Beginning Guide for PC Users, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: PTR Prentice Hall, 1994, 275 pp. ISBN 0-13-056392-7, US $27.95. (A workbook for the individual user that assumes the reader will be working on a Unix system.)  
Savetz, Kevin M., Your Internet Consultant: The FAQs of Life Online, Indianapolis, IN: SAMS Publishing, 1994, 550 pp. ISBN 0-672-30520-8, US $25.00. (Most commonly asked questions about tools and resources presented in a convenient format; well indexed and with a clearly organized table of contents.)
Smith, Richard and Mark Gibbs, Navigating the Internet: Deluxe Edition, Indianapolis, IN: SAMS Publishing, 1994, 640 pp. ISBN 0-672-30485-6, US $29.95. (A highly readable guide, with an easy-to-use listing of Internet resources arranged by subject.)
Tennant, Roy, John Ober, & Anne G. Lipow, Crossing the Internet Threshold:  An Instructional Handbook, 134 pp. ISBN 1-882208-01-3, US5.00. Berkeley, CA: Library Solutions Press, 1993. (Includes helpful fact sheets on various Internet tools from ftp and telnet to archie, gopher, WAIS, and World-Wide Web.)
Tolhurst, William A., Mary Ann Pike, Keith A. Blanco, and John R. Harris, Using the Internet: Special Edition, Indianapolis, IN: Que Corp., 1994.  1188 pp. ISBN 1-56529-353-6, $39.95. (At well over 1000 pages, this is the current leader in the sweepstakes for biggest Internet book. However, its coverage is surprisingly spotty; it includes a 110-page chapter on legal considerations, but ignores major tools like World-Wide Web.)

ONLINE RESOURCES FOR EXPERIENCED INTERNET USERS                 
"NYSERNet New User's Guide to Useful and Unique Resources on the Internet." Version 2.2, April 1992. Available by anonymous ftp from nysernet.org, directory /pub/guides, filename new.user.guide.V2.2.txt
"SURAnet Guide to Selected Internet Resources." December 1993. Available by anonymous ftp from ftp.sura.net/pub/nic, file infoguide.12-93.txt.
de Presno, Odd. "The Online World." Available by anonymous ftp from oak.oakland.edu/pub/msdos/info, type binary, filename online16.zip.  Uncompress with PKZip 2.04g. (An excellent source for coverage of European resources, also excellent for users of commercial services like CompuServe, Genie, and MCImail.)
December, John, "Information Sources: the Internet and Computer-Mediated Communication." 15 December 1993, release 3.15. Available by anonymous ftp from ftp.rpi.edu/pub/communications, filename internet-cmc.txt. (Gives locations and access instructions for hundreds of Internet training documents, directories, and other materials. Essential for locating the many valuable Internet resources discussed in the other guidebooks.)
Gaffin, Adam and Electronic Frontier Foundation. "Big Dummy's Guide to the Internet." January 1994. Available by anonymous ftp from ftp.eff.org/pub/Net_info/Big_Dummy, filename bigdummy.txt.
Martin, Jerry. "There's Gold in them thar Networks! or Searching for Treasure in all the Wrong Places." RFC 1402, January 1993. Available by anonymous ftp from nic.merit.edu/introducing.the.internet, filename network.gold.
Milles, James. "Discussion Lists: Mail Server Commands." Available by anonymous ftp from sluaxa.slu.edu/pub/millesjg, filename mailser.cmd.  (Explanation of the most commonly used commands for five of the most popular discussion list management programs.) 
Milles, James. "An Introduction to Using the Internet at Saint Louis University School of Law." Available by anonymous ftp from sluaxa.slu.edu/pub/millesjg, filename interlaw.wp (binary, WordPerfect 5.1/5.2 format), interlaw.txt (ASCII), or interlaw.ps (PostScript). (Although the focus is on legal resources, this guide should be useful for any VAX/VMS user. Only known source that discusses the differing commands for the BITNET and Unix listserver systems.)
NCSA Education Group. "An Incomplete Guide to the Internet." July 1993.  Available by anonymous ftp from ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu/Education/Education Resources/Incomplete Guide/Incomp.Guide.Old, filename Incomp.Guide.July.txt. (Focuses on K-12 users and resources.)
Noonan, Dana. "A Guide to Internet/Bitnet." June 1993. Available by anonymous ftp from vm1.nodak.edu/nnews, filename guidev2.nnews. (A rare and valuable guide for the VAX/VMS user.)
Parker, Elliott S. "Getting to Start: Selected Readings in Computer Communication." Ver. 4.01 (13 Dec 1993). Available by sending an e-mail message to LISTSERV@CMUVM.CSV.CMICH.EDU containing only the line, GET NETSTART INFO F=MAIL.    (A lengthy of books, articles, and other materials about the Internet and related topics.)
Polly, Jean Armour. "Surfing the INTERNET: An Introduction." Version 2.0.3, May 15, 1993. Available by anonymous ftp from nysernet.org/pub/guides, file surfing.2.0.3.txt.
Yanoff, Scott, "Special Internet Connections" (updated frequently). A list of interesting of interesting and useful selections showing the broad range of Internet resources, including a few Online Public Access Catalogs, chat lines, weather servers, Campus Wide Information Systems, and other reference resources. Available by anonymous ftp from csd4.csd.uwm.edu/pub, filename inet.services.txt.

The Commissioners' Information Resources Workshop by Michael F. Bowman, is presented by R. Gary Hendra -- The MacScouter -- WDL, Pack 92, Milpitas, California