My friend, Professor Eugene Silberstein, wrote the first edition of this comprehensive book during 2004 and I had a lot of fun listening to him tell me about it. He showed me the photos as they were arriving from the photographer (all shot in his working lab at Suffolk Community College), and they were just great. Seeing them all come together in the finished book was a real kick for me. I love watching books get born. Now the Second Edition is out and it's bigger and better than ever.

Eugene covers it all in this 826-page, hard-cover beauty. Check out the chapter titles:

1. Matter, Energy and Heat Basics

2. The Refrigeration Process

3. General Safety Practices

4. Refrigerant Management

5. Hand Tools

6. Tubing and Piping Tools

7. Specialized HVAC/R Tools

8. System Location

9. Air Distribution Systems

10. System Connections

11. Leak Testing

12. System Evacuation

13. System Startup and Charging

14. Electricity Fundamentals

15. Electric Motors

16. Electric Controls

17. Wiring Diagrams

18. Electric Codes

19. Testing, Adjusting and Balancing

20. Indoor Air Quality

21. Mechanical Troubleshooting

22. Electrical Troubleshooting

23. Electric Heat

24. Gas Heat

25. Oil Heat

26. Hydronic Heat

27. Heat Pumps

And then there's a terrific Glossary and a full Index.

This book reads so well and there are review questions at the end of each chapter. It's a perfect course for anyone who wants to get a solid grounding in both HVAC. and hydronics. Highly recommended!

Dan Holohan