Welcome to the board. There are many good books and not so good books. It is a matter of taste. Some will swear by them while others will swear at them. Kind of who builds the best trucksI have used books from Mike Holt Enterprises. I feel the books cover their respective topics very well and the graphics are top notch. I still have my text books as part of library of books I use daily in my job. I also recommend The Soares Book on Grounding and Bonding 2005. Some, to include I would argue that it is the book on grounding. Much of Article 250 of the NEC is based on findings of Eustace C. Soares. Mr. Soares has done for grounding what Edision has done for the DC power and Tesla has done for AC power. I have no clue on when the the 2008 will be out but I am sure it is definently in the works.A reference book that is a popular one from all walks in the trade is the Ugly's Electrical References.

- Darrin Daigle (West Manchester, PA), 03/25/2017

I second Soares. You could really find an older version cheap and do well by it but getting the latest one is probably best (new code updates). If you are really looking at code issues the handbook is the best place to go. It gives you commentary that explains some of the confusing parts. Some of the road warriors put on a good show too. If you get a chance to see Mike Ode or Jim Pauley it is worth the money. I assume there are other good guys in other regions.

- Jessica G (Brooks, GA), 03/25/2017

While the books recommended so far are fine books, I don't think they're what you want - yet. You need to start at the very beginning, and be presented with the whole scope of the trade in a systematic manner. Some of the information you need is "code," other is "trade.' Prentice Hall publishes books on the electrical trade, that are use in the training of apprentices by many established programs. There's a book for each year (4), plus some supplementary materials. These are what you are looking for. For more details on these books, and how to get them, look at this: http://www.prenhall.com/crafttraining/Catalog.pdf Details as to the electrical program start on page 24. Please note there is a slight delay in the availability ... the materials are being updated to reflect the latest edition of the NEC. They might still be willing to sell the older editions; it won't hurt to call and ask!

- D & L Service Llv (Ramapo, NY), 03/25/2017