The Mathematical Theory of Communication (Paperback)

~ (Author), Warren Weaver (Author) "Teletype and telegraphy are two simple examples of a discrete channel for transmitting information..." (more)
Key Phrases: high probability group, white thermal noise, entropy power (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Since many volumes of literature have been written both about the contents of this book and as a result of its impact on the field, suffice it to say here that anyone interested in the efficient transfer of information from one point to another should be familiar with this work."- Mathematics of Computation "Has proved invaluable to biologists and psychologists as well as to physicists and engineers."- The Times "This book cannot be ignored by anyone with direct professional concern with these applications and many applied physicists without this concern should, like the reviewer, find the book absorbing."- British Journal of Applied Physics "A beautiful example of a theory that unifies hitherto separate branches of physical science... Dr. Weaver makes important suggestions as to how this unity may be extended to semantics and pragmatics."- Philosophical Review "Before this there was no universal way of measuring the complexities of messages or the capabilities of circuits to transmit them. Shannon gave us a mathematical way... invaluable ... to scientists and engineers the world over."-Scientific American --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"A beautiful example of a theory that unifies hitherto separate branches of physical science, and Dr. Weaver makes important suggestions as to how this unity may be extended to include semantics and pragmatics."--Philosophical Review

"This book cannot be ignored by anyone with direct professional concern with these applications and many applied physicists without this concern should, like the reviewer, find the book absorbing."--S. Whitehead, British Journal of Applied Physics

"Readers who are interested in language, communication, meaning, and related problems will find this monograph rewarding."--Quarterly Review of Biology

See all Editorial Reviews

---

Product Details Paperback: 144 pages Publisher: University of Illinois Press (October 1, 1963) Language: English ISBN-10: 0252725484 ISBN-13: 978-0252725487 Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #144,356 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in these categories: (What's this?) #27 in  Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Mathematics > Pure Mathematics > Number Theory #28 in  Books > Science > Mathematics > Pure Mathematics > Number Theory #75 in  Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Mathematics > Mathematical Physics

---

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

› Visit Amazon's Claude E. Shannon Page

Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

Search Inside This Book:

---

Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
Teletype and telegraphy are two simple examples of a discrete channel for transmitting information. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
high probability group, white thermal noise, entropy power, recovered message, discrete channel, successive symbols, channel symbols, possible entropy, statistical structure, channel capacity, discrete symbols, discrete source

New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats

Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

Search Inside This Book:

---

Citations (learn more)

This book cites 5 books:

• Finnegans Wake (Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin) by James Joyce on page 56
• The Principles of Statistical Mechanics by Richard C. Tolman on page 50
• The Nature of the Physical World by A. S. Eddington in Front Matter
• Secret and Urgent: The Story of Codes and Ciphers by Fletcher Pratt on page 42
• The Nature of the Physical World by Sir Arthur S. Eddington in Front Matter

 

100 books cite this book:

• Speaking into the Air: A History of the Idea of Communication by John Durham Peters in Front Matter (1), Front Matter (2), and Back Matter
• Who Killed Shakespeare: What's Happened to English Since the Radical Sixties by Pat Brantlinger on page 167, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
• Contemporary Cryptography (Artech House Computer Security503) by Rolf Oppliger on page 19, page 140, and page 289
• Snapping: America's Epidemic of Sudden Personality Change by Flo Conway on page 98, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
• Digital Image Processing by Kenneth R. Castleman on page 279, page 444, and Back Matter

See all 100 books citing this book

---

Books on Related Topics (learn more)

Elements of Information Theory 2nd Edition by T. M. Cover

Discusses:

• discrete channel
• channel symbols
• discrete source

Fundamentals of Adaptive Filtering by Ali H. Sayed

Discusses:

• discrete channel
• successive symbols
• channel symbols

Digital Communication Receivers by Heinrich Meyr

Discusses:

• discrete channel
• channel symbols
• channel capacity

Quantum Information by Masahito Hayashi

Discusses:

• recovered message
• statistical structure
• channel capacity

Wireless Communications over MIMO Channels by Volker Kühn

Discusses:

• discrete channel
• successive symbols
• channel symbols

Elements of Information Theory 2nd Edition by T. M. Cover Discusses: discrete channel channel symbols discrete source Fundamentals of Adaptive Filtering by Ali H. Sayed Discusses: discrete channel successive symbols channel symbols Digital Communication Receivers by Heinrich Meyr Discusses: discrete channel channel symbols channel capacity Quantum Information by Masahito Hayashi Discusses: recovered message statistical structure channel capacity Loading...

---

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	64% buy the item featured on this page: The Mathematical Theory of Communication 4.8 out of 5 stars (13) $19.79
	17% buy An Introduction to Information Theory 4.6 out of 5 stars (18) $10.36
	8% buy Elements of Information Theory 2nd Edition (Wiley Series in Telecommunications and Signal Processing) 4.2 out of 5 stars (25) $79.27
	6% buy Cybernetics, Second Edition: or the Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine 5.0 out of 5 stars (3) $17.42

Explore similar items

---

Tags Customers Associate with This Product  (What's this?) Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people. Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below.  information theory(10) mathematics(7) communication theory(6) claude e shannon(5) communications(1) cryptography(1) Agree with these tags? Your tags: Add your first tag

Search Products Tagged with   See most popular tags

---

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

---

 

Customer Reviews

13 Reviews 5 star:  (10) 4 star:  (3) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.8 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 42 of 48 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Seminal, far reaching, forgotten book, December 26, 1998 By  Harvey B. Vedder "Loperman" (NYC, where else?) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    Glibly referred to by anyone with a smattering of data and telecommunications savvy, few have ever read it. As usual with breakthru authors, their efforts get commercially applied and the insightfulness of the original work is closeted, where it can conveniently be academically referred to "what he said was..." (ellipsis filled in by whatever your professor used to characterize the book.) Shannon took an early art form to a rigorous science. This is the book reporting the method of the since-evolved science of data communications, and a good bit more. The fact that I am the first reviewer in this forum speaks eloquently of the paucity of readers and the concomitant large number of data communication experts who have ignored the now larger issues it discloses than the single commercial application of one of its conclusions. Read it. You will agree with me that focusing on the source rather than the sink (terms he coined) is the weakness of communication theory as currently modeled on Shannon's first, obvious conclusion. The development of the digital computer over the past five decades has opened up the way to harness the ideas that lie latent in this excellent, groundbreaking book. Harvey B. Vedder ret Sr Data Comm Eng, Bell Atlantic [e-mail] 28 of 31 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Every computer scientist should read this monument!, February 14, 2001 By  Steve Uhlig (Berlin, Germany) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    While being referenced in many courses and textbooks, few have read it unfortunately. This is not the kind of book that will change your life but it is amongst the ones that are part of the CULTURE of anyone far or less involved in communication theory. The content is certainly very conceptual but it provides a different view of what information is. In this world where content is king, it will refresh your notion of syntax and semantics, and the difference between just words and the information that lies within them. Even if it is quite small, it's not the book you'll read from the beginning to the end without a stop. It is very deep and has profound implications on everyday's computer scientist's life. I've read once that often the size of a book is inversely proportional to its informational content...it is true for this one at least... 19 of 21 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars A first!, February 28, 2003 By  Palle E T Jorgensen "Palle Jorgensen" (Iowa City, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)       Where it all began.---The book grew out from an epic scientific paper in 1948, but luckly its author Shannon chose a light touch and a gentle delivery in his presentation. The paper became a book, with a 1949 first edition, which is now a classic, and which has been reprinted a number of times since, ending with the present lovely 1998 edition. It is still the place where readers can learn the essentials, including the two equations of information theory, that are now named after Claude Shannon.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars It's an important paper, freely available on the web As has been stated, this is an important, landmark work, worth reading by anyone interested in the subject---Shannon initiated the field with this paper as a complete theory... Read more Published 4 months ago by I. Palmer 5.0 out of 5 stars The Seminal Work in Information Theory This book is the origin of information theory (then called "communication theory"). Explaining measurement of information in both discrete and continuous variables, this historic... Read more Published 21 months ago by William B. Dwinnell IV 5.0 out of 5 stars The foundations of Information Theory This book doesn't need any presentation: it is well known by all the scientific community as the "start point" of Information Theory. Read more Published on February 20, 2007 by Sophie Marie 5.0 out of 5 stars The one and only Typically, a paper which defines a new field of science is not the best introduction to new researchers in the field. Read more Published on July 19, 2006 by Eli Faulkner 5.0 out of 5 stars 6 stars. A gem. This book is the best technical book i've ever read. It's clear, concise and logic. It explains all the fundamentals of communication theory, a basic for telecom and electronic... Read more Published on January 14, 2006 by J. Prado 5.0 out of 5 stars The foundation for developments in electronics, telecommunications and computing The origin of this book lies in the Bell Telephone Laboratories initiative in researching how wireless and telecommunications can be improved. Read more Published on July 5, 2005 by Vinay Varma 5.0 out of 5 stars Right from the master The book about information theory. It is old but contain all the basic concepts. Even better, you can enjoy reading it! Published on October 4, 2002 by Yvan Dutil 5.0 out of 5 stars Arguably, the most important paper EVER written! I think it is fair to say that this book, based on Shannons landmark paper represents what I believe to be, the most important engineering paper ever written in the history of the... Read more Published on February 14, 2002 4.0 out of 5 stars If you are reading this sentence, you should read the book. More people should read this book. Anybody with any interest in language, communication, artificial intelligence or any area where ideas are conveyed abstractly will benefit from... Read more Published on April 20, 2000 by Chuck 4.0 out of 5 stars Valuble information for book report The work of Shannon and Weaver was good. Maybe this book should be used in more classrooms as text book. Published on March 2, 1999 Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

---

Customer Discussions

This product's forum Discussion Replies Latest Post No discussions yet Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight Start a new discussion Topic: First post: Receive e-mail when new posts are made Prompts for sign-in   Guidelines Active discussions in related forums Discussion Replies Latest Post science The official end of Darwinism 715 2 minutes ago science If you don't accept evolution then please... 165 8 minutes ago science Life's Irreducible Structure 226 10 minutes ago textbook Textbooks for Kindle DX? 62 1 hour ago textbook Anyone need psychology testbook- trying to sell a used copy 2 2 days ago mathematics Relearn High School Math 2 3 days ago mathematics Needing to re-learn calculus I, II, III 25 7 days ago Search Customer Discussions Search all Amazon discussions

The Mathematics community Latest activity 2 hours ago 4,261 customers have contributed 4,968 products, 39 discussions and more... › Explore the community The Textbook community Latest activity 11 hours ago 3,001 customers have contributed 3,654 products, 19 discussions and more... › Explore the community The Communications community Latest activity 1 day ago 881 customers have contributed 604 products, 38 lists & guides and more... › Explore the community Related forums claude e... communicatio... communications information... mathematics (39 discussions) science (1023 discussions) textbook (19 discussions) textbooks... Explore more › See all Customer Communities › Your communities

---

Listmania!

FPGA and Reconfigurable Computer Design: A list by S. Siegel "FPGA lifeform"   So you would like to learn Communication Theory: A list by Ahmad Munir   Books That Shaped My Thinking 1: A list by Vinay Varma "VinVar" Create a Listmania! list

Search Listmania!

---

So You'd Like to...

Design a reconfigurable multicomputer node with FPGAs: A guide by S. Siegel "FPGA lifeform"   ... get the essentials of communication science?: A guide by Cees Jan Mol   Poke around your brain, Computational-Style: A guide by MCMC Create a guide

Search Guides

---

Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)

Be the first person to add an article about this item at Amapedia.com.

› See featured Amapedia.com articles

---

Look for Similar Items by Category

• Books > Business & Investing > Skills > Communications
• Books > Professional & Technical > Engineering > Telecommunications
• Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Mathematics > Pure Mathematics
• Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Physics > Mathematical Physics
• Books > Reference > Words & Language > Communication
• Books > Science > Mathematics > Applied
• Books > Science > Mathematics > Pure Mathematics > Number Theory
• Books > Science > Physics > Mathematical Physics

---

Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Books by subject:
Applied mathematics
Communication Studies
Mathematics
Science/Mathematics
Language Arts & Disciplines / Communication
Mathematics / Advanced
Mathematics / Number Theory
Number Theory
Technology & Engineering / Telecommunications
Mathematical Physics
Telecommunication


i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Ad feedback

 

Feedback If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? Is there any other feedback you would like to provide? Your comments can help make our site better for everyone. Please note that we are unable to respond directly to all feedback submitted via this form, but we'll ask you to sign in so we can contact you if needed.

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

› View and edit your browsing history

Get to Know Us Careers Investor Relations Press Releases Amazon and Our Planet Make Money with Us Sell on Amazon Join Associates Self-publish with Us › See all Let Us Help You Shipping Rates & Policies Amazon Prime Returns Help

Canada | China | France | Germany | Japan | United Kingdom  And don't forget: Amazon Windowshop | AmazonWireless | Askville | Audible | DPReview | Endless | IMDb | Shopbop | SoundUnwound | Warehouse Deals by Amazon | Zappos Conditions of Use | Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press (October 1, 1963)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0252725484
• ISBN-13: 978-0252725487
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #144,356 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #27 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Mathematics > Pure Mathematics > Number Theory
  #28 in	Books > Science > Mathematics > Pure Mathematics > Number Theory
  #75 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Mathematics > Mathematical Physics

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Seminal, far reaching, forgotten book, December 26, 1998

By	Harvey B. Vedder "Loperman" (NYC, where else?) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Glibly referred to by anyone with a smattering of data and telecommunications savvy, few have ever read it. As usual with breakthru authors, their efforts get commercially applied and the insightfulness of the original work is closeted, where it can conveniently be academically referred to "what he said was..." (ellipsis filled in by whatever your professor used to characterize the book.) Shannon took an early art form to a rigorous science. This is the book reporting the method of the since-evolved science of data communications, and a good bit more. The fact that I am the first reviewer in this forum speaks eloquently of the paucity of readers and the concomitant large number of data communication experts who have ignored the now larger issues it discloses than the single commercial application of one of its conclusions. Read it. You will agree with me that focusing on the source rather than the sink (terms he coined) is the weakness of communication theory as currently modeled on Shannon's first, obvious conclusion. The development of the digital computer over the past five decades has opened up the way to harness the ideas that lie latent in this excellent, groundbreaking book.

Harvey B. Vedder ret Sr Data Comm Eng, Bell Atlantic [e-mail]

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Every computer scientist should read this monument!, February 14, 2001

By	Steve Uhlig (Berlin, Germany) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

While being referenced in many courses and textbooks, few have read it unfortunately. This is not the kind of book that will change your life but it is amongst the ones that are part of the CULTURE of anyone far or less involved in communication theory.

The content is certainly very conceptual but it provides a different view of what information is. In this world where content is king, it will refresh your notion of syntax and semantics, and the difference between just words and the information that lies within them.

Even if it is quite small, it's not the book you'll read from the beginning to the end without a stop. It is very deep and has profound implications on everyday's computer scientist's life. I've read once that often the size of a book is inversely proportional to its informational content...it is true for this one at least...

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A first!, February 28, 2003

By	Palle E T Jorgensen "Palle Jorgensen" (Iowa City, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Where it all began.---The book grew out from an epic scientific paper in 1948, but luckly its author Shannon chose a light touch and a gentle delivery in his presentation. The paper became a book, with a 1949 first edition, which is now a classic, and which has been reprinted a number of times since, ending with the present lovely 1998 edition. It is still the place where readers can learn the essentials, including the two equations of information theory, that are now named after Claude Shannon.