REVIEW: THE INTERNET COMPANION 2nd Edition & INTERNET COMPANION PLUS 2nd Ed. by Tracy LaQuey, Addison-Wesley Publishing Co. 1994 ISBN: 0-201-40837-6 262 pages paperbound $12.95 (with diskette $19.95) Here's the second Edition of one of the original Internet books - THE INTERNET COMPANION first published in November 1992. Foreward was written by Senator Al Gore, probably the Internet's most high-placed supporter. The Second Edition's forward is by the same person, except he's now Vice-President of the U.S.A. This book covers the basic Internet tools and utilities as well as MAIL, USENET, FTP and TELNET. It is not in-detail coverage, but more like a familiarization course in the essentials. It is filled with net history and lore, including some Internet legends like the Dying Boy and Modem Tax tales. Its definitely not a cut-and-dried book of instructions and authoress LaQuey has done a masterful job of making the reading of the material easy and pleasant. The cost of the book without the optional diskette and software is extremely low ($12.95) and well worth it. I remember THE INTERNET COMPANION back in early 1993 and the second edition is no disappointment. It ranks right up there with Ed Krol's THE WHOLE INTERNET USERS GUIDE AND ON-LINE CATALOG which is also in its second edition. Both of these titles are, in my opinion, Internet classics. THE INTERNET COMPANION PLUS comes with a INTERNAV FOR DELPHI diskette. This is a Windows-based "point 'n shoot" interface for navigating Delphi ONLY! Delphi offers a free five-hour trial if you register. However the software is useless unless you sign up with and use Delphi for on-line service. Addison-Wesley offers THE INTERNET COMPANION 2nd Edition minus the diskette for $12.95. I applaud this marketing philosophy of not forcing someone to pay for a diskette they're never going to use because it's bundled with the book. It surely makes it a bit difficult for sellers to have two items to order and inventory instead of one, but I for one think its being considerate of the customer and consequently worth the extra trouble. Coupled with its no-nonsense style and presentation, it's definitely a good bet. THE INTERNET COMPANION, 2nd Edition is an excellent first book to the Internet and at $12.95 ($19.95 with Delphi software) is an excellent bargain. (C) 1995 Michael Crestohl mc@shore.net This and other Internet book reviews my me are available by anonymous FTP from: x2ftp.oulu.fi in the /pub/books/crestohl directory