The Manga Guide to Electricity
Book Review

By Dale Farris, Reviews Coordinator Golden Triangle PC Club April 2009 General Overview Rereko is just your average high-school girl from Electopia, the land of electricity, but she's totally failed her final electricity exam! Now she has to go to summer school on Earth. And this time, she has to pass. Luckily, her ever-patient tutor Hikaru is there to help. Join them in the pages of The Manga Guide to Electricity as Rereko examines everyday electrical devices like flashlights, heaters, and circuit breakers, and learns the meaning of abstract concepts like voltage, potential, current, resistance, conductivity, and electrostatic force. The real-world examples that you'll find in The Manga Guide to Electricity will teach you: What electricity is, how it works, how it's created, and how it can be used The relationship between voltage, current, and resistance (Ohm's law) Key electrical concepts like inductance and capacitance How complicated components like transformers, semiconductors, diodes, and transistors work How electricity produces heat and the relationship between current and magnetic fields If thinking about how electricity works really fries your brain, let The Manga Guide to Electricity teach you all things electrical in a shockingly fun way. Note: This EduManga book is a translation of a bestselling series in Japan, co-published with Ohmsha, Ltd., of Tokyo, Japan. Table of Contents The book's five (5) chapters include the following: Chapter 1: What is Electricity? Chapter 2: What are Electric Circuits? Chapter 3: How Does Electricity Work? Chapter 4: How Do You Create Electricity? Chapter 5: How Can You Conveniently Use Electricity? Author Kazuhiro Fujitaki and Trend-pro Co, Ltd. About the Author Kazuhiro Fujitaki is a lecturer at the Tokyo Metropolitan Vocational Skills Development Center. He has written a number of books on electrical engineering and runs a website offering useful information about Japan's qualifying examinations for electrical technicians. Artist Matsuda Trend-Pro, Co, Ltd Trend-Pro, Co, Ltd performed the task of transforming the manuscript into the comic format of the book. Date March 2009 ISBN ISBN-10 1-59327-197-2 ISBN-13 978-1-59327-197-8 Price $19.95 $19.95 CAN Features 224 pages; preface; prologue; extensive Japanese comic illustrations; figures; tables; exercises; epilogue; index Targeted Customers This book is an excellent introductory book on electricity. The intended readers are those who are interested in learning more about electricity, something we easily take for granted - unless our electrical service is temporarily disconnected. The book is designed to explain the fundamental electrical concepts using a story told through manga followed by further explanations in written text. There are no complicated explanations. Readers simply listen along with the heroine as her teacher explains concepts. Even readers who may have had a hard time understanding electricity will find this explanation easy to comprehend. The Japanese style manga comics are all displayed in a basic, black-and-white design, which helps to keep down the cost of the book while also heightening this manga style of drawing. Note also that since this book is written by a Japanese author, the context of the comic characters that form the basis of the story of the book is decidedly Japanese. This means the frequent references to Japanese items, concepts, objects, or institutions may take some getting used to by Western readers unfamiliar with Japanese culture. However, the material is well organized around the fundamental, basic concepts you would expect to find in a book that serves as an introduction to the field of electricity. The author succeeds in presenting a clear, easy-to-understand guide to electricity. This valuable book serves as an excellent introduction to electricity, and would fit perfectly in any middle school science curriculum. Book Updates Visit www.nostarch.com/mg_electricity.htm for access to the updates, errata, and other information covered in the book. About No Starch Press San Francisco based No Starch Press, Inc., publisher of such best-selling titles as "Steal This Computer Book 3," "The Book of JavaScript," and "The Linux Cookbook," is an independent publishing company committed to producing readable, information-packed computer books that make a difference. No Starch focuses on Open Source, Web development, computer security, programming tools, and alternative operating systems. No Starch authors are highly regarded experts who have the rare ability to write about complex topics clearly and concisely. As a result, No Starch books share a no-nonsense manner that both educates and entertains. The Linux Journal Press series offers readers books on cutting-edge Open Source topics that make a difference, in an effort to advance the acceptance and usability of Linux. Recent titles include "The Book of Zope," "Programming Linux Games," and "The Linux Cookbook." Linux Journal Press titles are developed in partnership with Linux Journal. The No Starch international distribution network brings their books to all major English-language and critical non-English language markets. Their U.S. distributor, Publishers Group West (PGW), is the largest U.S. distributor for independent book publishers. PGW sells to all major wholesalers (Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Bookazine, Koen, etc.), national chains and independents, online booksellers, and academic and technical bookstores. No Starch also aggressively pursues sales in non-traditional channels, including corporate and premium sales, bulk sales, and book clubs. The No Starch international distributors (including JGA in Canada, Computer Bookshops in the UK, Woodslane in Australia/New Zealand) reach all major English and non-English markets with large technical populations. They also maintain extensive contacts with international publishers who translate their books and bring them to their markets in their local language. William Pollock, founder and publisher of No Starch Press, Inc. (and co-founder of APress) has over fifteen years of book publishing experience. No Starch Press benefits from his experience in professional reference, scientific, college, and trade publishing. Mr. Pollock has worked his way up through the publishing ranks from editorial assistant, to sales representative, to acquisitions editor, to publisher. He knows the book publishing business from the ground up. Contact Travis Peterson Sales & Marketing Assistant No Starch Press 555 De Haro St., Suite 250 San Francisco, California 94107 800-420-7240 415-863-9900, Ext. 300 FAX 415-863-9950 travis@nostarch.com www.nostarch.com