Customer Reviews

McGraw-Hill National Electrical Code 2008 Handbook, 26th Ed. (McGraw-Hill's National Electrical Code Handbook)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This book is technically useful and it is an actual bound BOOK. However, it does not include the actual text of the National Electrical Code, only the authors' explanations and interpretations of the Code; thus you must have two books - this AND the Code. The NFPA Code handbook includes the actual text of the Code, followed by the explanation/interpretation. It costs more and is in a of the McGraw-Hill version and orderedflimsy spiral binder format, which sucks, but everything is contained in one book; and it is issued by the NFPA, which gives it a little more weight when discussing fine points with inspectors & such. I am returning my copy of the Mc-Graw Hill Handbook and am ordering the NFPA Handbook.

Unless you have young eyes you will have trouble reading this book. The info is packed in fine print and is not tabularized very well. It is also thick and will not stay open. I didn't look at the dimensions before purchasing, but the photo looked like a full size textbook.. It's no wonder this book is half the price of the NFPA version. Spend the money and get the original NFPA handbook.

I have used a number of the McPartland reference books over the years. I find this book a nice companion to the NEC and the NEC Handbook. It gives context and background to what's in the NEC. The NEC is very disjointed this book brings the disparate code sections together.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to have a holistic understanding of the NEC.

This book has a bad title - It should not be confused with the NEC published book with the same name. I sent it back and bought the National Electric Code 2008 Handbook published by NEC.

It has no (zero) tables in it anywhere. If you are and electrician you need tables, period. Don't bother downloading the pdf version and hope the tables are there. Nope, they don't exist. Buy a real code book and get back to work where you belong.

I can understand the other reviewers and there opinions, there's merit, but they lose me when they see no value in the McGraw-Hill Handbook. Yes, it isn't exactly like the NFPA books, I find this Handbook to be presented in plainer english and in better laymans-terms-like. Actual photos of electrical equipment although black and white. They go beyond just the NEC code for explanation purposes and when doing so more understanding is possible.

If you are trying to buy a cheap NFPA Handbook this isn't it. I say but both.

This book does not contain the full text of the NEC, so you have to by that too. This book does a good job of explaining the goals and intentions behind the NEC, and pointing out where the NEC is not completely clear (inspectors in different jurisdictions might interpret these sections differently).