Seven mathematicians from Auburn University in Alabama present a textbook for a two-quarter course for students with only a basic background in mathematics. To explain coding theory, and the construction, encoding, and decoding of specific code families, they employ the two principles of describing the mathematics and the application in the same place, and avoiding mathematical generalizations and terminology that would be used in a class of advanced mathematics majors. The first edition, published in 1991, was titled Coding Theory: The Essentials , and was written by a completely different team, Hoffman, Leonard, et al. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)