For most people, this a probably the best book available to self-teach yourself electronics. It briefly introduces the theoretical concepts, but it is mostly focused on the practical side of things. The first two chapters deal with the basics-- setting up a workstation, selecting tools, briefly introducing each component (later chapters go into much more detail), and finally about 35 pages or so on the underlying theories & laws. From there on, each chapter introduces a specific component type, covers more of the theory relevant to those components, and in most cases the chapter ends with one or more projects that use the component. The projects range from short (one or two pages) circuits, to fairly involved projects spread over multiple chapters. Unlike some eletcronic books, most of these projects will be generally useful. In most cases, you are building tools that you will probably continue to use as you skills develop (The first project, for example, is a dual variable power supply that any electronics hobbyist will find quite useful.)
There are a few minor problems with the book, though none of them warrant deducting a star. The biggest thing that I've noticed so far is the lack of photographs. There are a few photos in chapter one and two showing each tool and examples of the components, but there are no photos at all showing any of the projects. The projects are illustrated with line drawings & schematics, but in some cases the instructions would be clearer with the addition of photos. The section on soldering has the same problem. The text is quite clear, but the addition of a photo or two would be beneficial.
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