Technical Analysis Books

Thick Oracle book which is intended for developers who might need to understand the Oracle internals and administration parts besides writing SQL. It's useful for them working in other database also as the general database concept is simlar. Developers can now have more DBA knowledges after reading before on-going performing some DBA task.

Gr8 stuff for all the Oracle ppl.

A true masterpiece, and a great way to learn Oracle concepts. No more to say.

I have been an Oracle DBA for about six years and this book is still the one I turn to when looking for deeper insight into tough Oracle problems. The author recently published a new book on 9i and 10g and that one is also quite excellent. When it comes to analysis and clear writing style, no one can beat Tom Kyte for excellence. Highly recommended.

I bought this book on cheap clearance after the original publisher went out of business -- the best $12 I ever invested. Remembering even 10% of this book makes you better than 90% of Oracle developers, modelers and architects. Mr. Kyte's real world experience and reliance on solid examples instead of folklore makes this light-years ahead of any other Oracle book; it's the only Oracle book I re-read regularly. If you can afford only one Oracle book, this is it. And you may not need any other.

I recently purchased this book based on the rave reviews even with an updated second edition off the press. I can honestly say that this book is Awesome in detail and explanation and is still extremely relevant to understanding the how too's and processes involved in routing tcp/ip. The most amazing feature about this book is how well explained and the book makes topics that would normally seem dificult or confusing easily understood, in other words grandma could learn how routing tcp/ip works from reading this book!

Brandon, Rome, GA

If any book was ever considered as the MUST HAVE BIBLE for Interior Routing Protocols - then Jeff Doyle's first effort on IGPs is THE book (how many cliché's do you want in one sentence)!! The book goes through at a very even pace - dissecting and describing the majority of both open-standard IGPs (OSPF, RIP and a little on ISIS) and Cisco-proprietary IGPs (IGRP and it's beefier brother - EIGRP). The book also includes some invaluable appendixes - including tutorials on working with Binary and hex.

But let's focus on the book's main reason for being - explaining IGPs. Take for instance OSPF - one of the most popular and widely implemented routing protocols in use today. On page 416-417, the book correctly discusses virtual links as a type of network type. The OSPF chapter typically employs 5-8 routers (and shows the required configs). Such a daunting exercise may at first seem like overkill, but Doyle is able to show how (and why) the all these router configs are necessary (to show, for instance, how they interact with or whether a DR or BDR). The book does have it's typos though, as the table on page 484 incorrectly documents stub networks as allowing type 5 and 7 LSAs (not so - thus a stub!)

I cannot imagine there are many CCIEs out there that do not have this book on their bookshelf.

I give this book 5 pings out of 5:
!!!!!

Great book for understanding IGP in details.

I am reviewing Routing TCP/IP Volume 1 (ISBN 1578700418), part of the CCIE Professional Development Series from Cisco Press. This book is widely regarded as part of the "Holy Trinity" of CCIE preparatory books. In addition to CCIE prep, it is also highly valued as an essential desk reference for anyone pursuing a career as a senior-level routing engineer. The author, Jeff Doyle, having written the two most recognized tomes on IP Routing, is a respected authority on the topic. His writing style is very clear and not at all difficult to read, which sets him apart from a lot of the authors in the "high-end routing book" category.

The book is part of a set of two books. TCP/IP Volume 1 contains coverage of the major interior routing protocols (RIP, IGRP, EIGRP, OSPF & ISIS) and follows it with coverage of route redistribution, filtering and mapping. TCP/IP Volume 2 covers the BGP exterior gateway protocol and follows it with coverage of advanced IP routing issues. As someone who's come up through the CCNA-to-CCNP-to-CCIE-candidate path, I recognized all of the topics from the BSCI curriculum. All this book really does is takes them to another level of depth. I highly recommend this path of coming at the CCIE, because unless you've done it all and seen it all, there's way too much information to take in during a single reading. Reading the BSCI book first gets you familiar with all of the topics, so that you're not overwhelmed when reading the Doyle books.

While many pan this book as being outdated since it was written in 1998, my contention is that all of the covered topics are still fair game for the CCIE qualifying written exam and the book still retains all of its original value. There are a lot of topics which are on the test which are not in Doyle's books, but if you look at the CCIE blueprint, the topics covered in the books map exactly to the topics in the IP Routing & IP Multicast sections of the blueprint. You can't treat any book as being a one stop shop for CCIE preparation. That's impossible. The book would be the size of my desk. I would actually contend that, on the next rewrite, they should break the 2 volume set into 3 volumes, one for the interior protocols, one for BGP by itself, and one for all of the advanced routing issues and multicast. This would make the volumes a bit less daunting and also somewhat easier to carry.

But, carry-ability issues aside, this is a very good book. It takes all of the topics to the degree of depth which you would expect for a CCIE-level book and explains things in a way that doesn't lose the reader. I had to work to keep the examples straight in my head, but no one said becoming a CCIE was easy. On the downside, the book contains no disc. This is unfortunate, because I always like to have the book on PDF. Also, it would be nice to have the review questions and answers put into a question bank. The book is also missing the "Do I Know This Already" section for each chapter, which is present in all of Cisco Press' certification guides. I realize that this is probably due to the fact that this is more of a desk reference / learning book than an official certification guide. However, as someone who's studying for an exam, I always like as many free practice questions as I can get.

I give Routing TCP/IP Volume 1 a 5 on my 5 ping rating scale and look forward to reading Volume 2.
!!!!!

Routing TCP/IP Volume 1 by Jeff Doyle (ISBN 1578700418) is an advanced level book on the theory and practice of routing and its implementation in Cisco routers. The 1026-page book (with a 50+ page index - always an important part of any technical book) is packed with useful information, example network architectures, and sample commands and their corresponding outputs to help the reader get a thorough grasp of real-life application of the theory.

The book is meant for working professionals in the network and routing field. Part I presents some basic routing theory along with the routing types - static and dynamic. This section, as in other books, is meant as a review for those seasoned engineers who have been working in the field for some time. It also helps to bring up to speed the other readers who may lack the necessary background. Part II contains the real substance of the book. It covers the interior routing protocols in detail including RIP 1 & 2, IGRP, EIGRP, OSPF, and IS-IS. The material presented in these chapters is definitely solid enough to give a detailed understanding of the subject matter and provide the necessary knowledge to allow one to troubleshoot the problems that creep up in maintaining networks running these routing protocols. Part III presents the issue relating to the optimization of networks running these routing protocols such as filtering and redistribution. Part IV consists of the appendices.

The most useful part of the book in my opinion is the examples and sample outputs. These really help the reader to understand the details on implementing the concepts presented in the book. Jeff presents a sample network architecture and uses that architecture to explain various aspects of the topic being discussed. For example, to illustrate various aspects of EIGRP routing and load balancing, a 5-router mesh architecture is presented followed by a detailed discussion of concepts such as succession, load sharing, route transitions and updates, etc. This approach really helps in understanding all aspects of a particular topic with concrete examples to relate to.

I took hold of this book not to help in preparing for the CCIE but to assist in the understanding of routing protocols that I use in my work life. As such, I can not comment on the applicability of this book to preparing for the CCIE exam but as for its application to real world scenarios, this book far exceeds any other on the topic of routing in the Cisco environment.

I am really impressed with the material presented in this book. The book is thorough and detailed in its coverage of interior routing protocols. Jeff Doyle is an expert in his field and this book proves it. On a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest, I give an enthusiastic 5 to Routing TCP/IP Volume 1 by Jeff Doyle. I can't wait to get my hands on Volume II.

Este libro sirve de gran ayuda para lo que trabajan configurando routers y switch Cisco, tambien explica algunas cosas basicas de tcp-ip y de roteo, es una muy buena ayuda de bolsillo.

Bye

I'm getting ready for my CCNA exam and I think this book will be a perfect study aide.

This book is exactly what I expected. Every CCNA command is there and I even learned something, although I have CCNA certificate already.

This portable command guide is a must for anyone working with CISCO switches and routers. I used this command guide as part of my study for the CCNA, but have also found this book an excellent referral for everyday work. This guide describes everything from configuring a switch at start up to setting up both standard and extended access lists. Routing protocols are also covered, showing you the actual commands required.

This little book is what every CCNA should own! It is a great reference not only for exam study but while on the job. I keep one at my desk when I need to look up a command. Its small size lends itself to carrying around.

I like the fact that it gives full configuration examples and also makes mention of optional commands for the configuation. It can be quite tedious to use the Cisco website and this book fills a much needed void.

This book was an eye-opener for me. My sister-in-law, who teaches theater and directs many plays, recommended it. It's intended for directors, to show them how to analyze play scripts--backwards and forwards. I would recommend it to playwrights, readers of plays, and theater audiences. And especially to Shakespeare fans. The author does a brilliant analysis of Hamlet (as an example), showing how Shakespeare builds up suspense and keeps the play moving--action, action, action--by means of scenes that are often cut as unnecessary.

I've been acting for ten years and got my first directing assignment. I know a lot about directing from having been directed, but this book was a great guide for script analysis with the big picture in mind, not just one character. The show was a success and the actors still like me.

It seems like reading would require no specific techniques, that they would come naturally to one and go without saying, even when the task is more specified, as in the reading of plays. But Ball breaks down this seemingly natural sense into its component elements and explains them in easily digestible, well-paced segments, and to examine these elements does much in the way of re-learning and thus refining and fine-tuning one's seemingly natural reading skill. This skill can be taken and applied in various ways (as Ball describes in the introduction), some of which are immeasurably improved by the complex understanding that posessing these refined elements provides; the reading a play to produce it, for example, or the writing of one yourself can be tremendously improved if one is constantly aware of what they are doing, why they're doing it, and what about their actions are correct, lacking, unnecessary or obtrusive. Without having a defined sense of the tools contained within this book, these tasks would be much more difficult, complicated, vague and roundabout, thus slowing, weakening or perhaps ruining the final product. Pair this skill set with application to texts such as plays, which are made all the more difficult by the fact that the playwright thinks in terms more of making their production work when produced for an audience and less of making their script read and be easily graspable completely on the page, and this manual becomes immeasurably more useful on a basic and elemental level.

This book would serve a Script Analysis class very well. I plan to use it for mine in the fall. It also is reader friendly enough to serve an actor/director/designer wanting a different perspective, perhaps, on a script; or could be a different way of explaining what we were generally taught as undergrads.

I have read a lot of books on the subjects of writing and acting. This book contains almost every important point in the tens of thousands of pages I have read when it comes to structure. If you are a writer you have to own this book! There is no wasted space in it. No actor or director on the planet should live without it either. You can read it in a day, but you'll read it again and again.

This book doesn't cover all there is to cover in Calculus 1. It can't, it's too tiny. But what it does do it take you through the logic of increasingly abstract concepts. I found this enormously helpful beyond just helping me understand the concepts (though it did so admirably). I found that this careful progression helped me formalize my own thought process, helped me get more logical.

This won't cover everything you need to know, but I'm a big advocate of the more you know, the better, and this book will help you fill in some gaps.

This book is well written and the author explains the material in an easy to understand manner. I haven't had Calculus for over 10 years and a lot of the material is coming back to me because of the author's style of presenting it. I whole-heartedly recommend this review for those who have been away from Calculus for a number of years.

Amazon is linking this product to many reviews of Gootmans' classic Calculus (College Review Series). That book is not available on the kindle, unfortunately.

*This* book is a dry but thorough introduction to a wide range of basic calculus topics.

Great book it helped me pass Calc in high school and helped me get an A in college. Highly recommended. Easy to read and understand

Professor Gootman is the master of moving from practical everyday arithmetic to higher layers of algebraic abstraction. In Calculus, I too memorized the formulas, rules, etc. and did fine but never really fully understood the purpose of it all. To start with the simple notion of s being a 'position' of an object (ball thrown up in space) and t being time and answering the 'instantaneous rate of change' / feet per second for s(t) was such a refreshing explanation to see. Moving carefully into the next layer(s) of abstraction ( f(x) dy/dx,... ) is his forte. He helped me feel more confident knowing that even with subjects such as abstract algebra and number theory, remembering to try and move carefully 'up' the levels of abstraction will assuredly alleviate pain and frustration.

Nothing special about this book. It teaches you how to setup various routing protocols on Cisco routers. But it doesn't teach you much about routing itself. Many other books do the same at much lower price. I guess it is good book for reference purposes for Cisco users but not helpful at all for non-Cisco users in any way.

I also used GNS3 open source network simulator in our collage lab along with this book.

This is a must for any CCIE candidate. One of the best books I've ever read.

I got this book to refresh my routing skills and ultimately to take the lab. It was OK and well organized with enough examples to walk you through the steps required to take some further steps! To be honest the only section that I didn't like much was its redistribution chapter but the rest of the book seemed very interesting to me. Although it's not mentioned in the book but you will find it extremely helpful a couple of weeks before your lab date just after doing all labs developed by different vendors it again tastes like a Cisco resource for a Cisco exam.
HTH,

I have been using this book to refresh my concepts. It's truly amazing to learn concepts you've known for so long from a different angle aiding in building on it. I always expect a lot on the background of the technology rather than heaps of implementation details and the authors have provided a balanced mix of both. It is the best reference on IGPs and another point worth mentioning is the highlighting of certain key areas, where most people are likely to make a mistake. Each chapter in this book takes you a step closer to knowing IGPs better.

Routing TCP/IP, Vol 1 - 2nd Edition

I have used the first edition of Jeff Doyle's Routing TCP/IP volumes 1 and 2 for some time now. I consider them essential to studying for the CCIE lab exam. They also act as an ongoing reference for any networking professional. I was anxious to review the second edition and have not been disappointed.

I was impressed that this second edition appears to be a well thought out re-presentation of the material. By that I mean it is not just the first edition with some bolt-on additions but rather a fresh covering of the material with the updates that inundate our industry woven in as opposed to added on to the existing text.

I find rare cases to employ RIP in my current work but as an old dog, I tend to monitor its evolution. The book does one of the best jobs of conveying RIPng and its exclusive use with IPv6 that I have seen. An important note that other writers seem to overlook is the reliance of RIPng on IPv6 authentication mechanisms. Coverage of EIGRP's approach to IPv6 was lacking but I am told this was due to press dates vs. standards publishing or some such. Separate research for this technology would be required for those that need it.

In typical Doyle fashion, information is presented in a very matter of fact way, diagrams are clear and correctly annotated. Command output is easy to follow and well trimmed of content that does not apply directly to the point being illustrated. I have chastised other Cisco Press books for failure to hit this level of clarity and correctness. It is a peeve of mine to have to flip back and forth several pages (or even chapters) to reference a diagram or a table that is being discussed in the current chapter.

Overall: As expected I was quite pleased with the book and will recommend it to anyone pursuing their CCIE certification. I will also recommend this book (as I have the first edition) to anyone involved in higher level network design and administration. I heartily give the book five stars as I believe most reviewers will.

I'm not an expert in either Interface Design or Programming Methodology, and I've only read a little bit in these areas. As I read this book, I found myself thinking: "You mean this approach isn't standard practice already?"

After reading Ellen and Alan's description of how a UI Designer and a Developer should interact with each other, it just seems so obvious that everyone should work this way. User needs should affect architecture, and technology constrains design--how hard can it be to understand that? But the implications--design and development are iterative, and ongoing user testing is critical to the iterative process--could change the way some people think about programming projects. (The old Specify, Design, Program, Test, Release process seems somewhat naive in retrospect.)

The book has a kind of fun and lively feel to it. It's clear that the authors were having fun telling their various stories, and were excited about illustrating their points. The writing is casual, which made it amazingly easy to read.

On the other hand, once the informal style sold me on the overall approach, I almost immediately wanted a more rigorous treatment. I'd have loved an Appendix that summarized the formats of the various documents, for instance, and perhaps one that reviews the process flow diagram used at the beginning of the later chapters. (As a former academic, I found myself wondering as well about the independence and completeness of the Design Guidelines, too, but that's my quirk. It's probably not an issue most readers would care about.)

I think this book could become one of those that inspires a sort of religious commitment to its vision, and that that would probably be a very good thing.

First let me tell you this is an interaction design (or user interface design) book, since the title of the book doesn't do this job well.

This is one of the books that have great impact on me. I agree with the review written by Kevin Mullet (printed on the book's back cover) that the ideas presented in this book are a bit "dangerous". It is dangerous because they are not the common practice yet. If people want to follow these ideas, they need to have changes. Changes are always dangerous to many people.

Those "dangerous" ideas include:

- Build fewer features but build them well. (The current practice is to build as many features as possible so that marketers can list those features for promotion. Is a product easy to use? Everyone can claim that since there are no criteria for such a claim.)

- User interface design should drive the system architecture, not the other way around. (Modifying system architecture is always hard. If we want to support a certain interaction afterwards, the architecture will probably can't support cleanly, if at all.)

- Technology should be used for user needs, but not for technology's own sake. (Visual design should also be treated the same.)

Last but not least, this book shows that user interface design is actually science but not art. We don't need a graphic design degree to be an interaction designer.

As an IT project manager supporting web applications, sites and portals, this book summarizes the story of my life. Not just a must-read, but a godsend for application developers and UI designers -- two groups who traditionally don't always see eye-to-eye or face daunting communication challenges. Can't we all just get along? Yes! This book tells you how, using simple, easy-to-understand language and real-life examples. End users and customers will thank you for reading it.

I highly recommend this book as an invaluable resource for anyone currently in, or looking to enter, the instructional design field. The authors have successfully been able to present information, which can often be dry and complex, in a clear and easy to read format.

I have a read many books in this area and they have been a fantastic cure for insomnia. This on the other hand is a compelling read from start to finish. Many of the concepts presented will not be foreign to people that work in this field or in the area of product development. However the logical order and detailed examples work brilliantly to drive home the principles.

Publishers in this area should use this book as a bench mark for design and layout for its susinct and logical passage. Thank you very much Ellen and Allan for such a useful tool!

This book has many examples of good and bad web pages and also consumer products. What it covers is seemingly obvious, but apparently not realized by many. It shows how users and designers can work together for optimal result. It should be a required reading for anyone doing user-interface designs. It is good that they actually have a good free product, HUBBUB ... .that was created using this design philosophy.
I didn't give it a 5-star only because, to me, the section of their HUBBUB experience and the conclusion was too long and could have been made more concise. Also, it was disappointing to see their product not following their own design goals well enough, which seemed to make the book less effective.

Murphy has written a very good reference book, useful for brushing up on the finer points of charting, indicators and so forth. He also does a good job of going over the various technical theories with a straight face, neither endorsing favorites nor casting ridicule on the ones that are more logically suspect (ahem, cough, gann-elliott-fibonacci, cough cough).

The only thing I really took issue with was Murphy's habit of trying to predict the size and extent of price moves, rather than sticking with more general observations regarding momentum and overall movement.

Looking for something to happen before there is evidence of its arrival is a dangerous game for technical players, methinks. To devotees of the approach, a friendly warning -- be careful not to become a fundamentechnicalyst. Meaning, always keep in mind that effective technical analysis highlights probability rather than makes predictions.

Since I just made up the word for this review, I'll now throw in the definition: A "fundamentechnicalyst" is one who makes predictions, just like the run of the mill fundamental analyst does... except the fundamentechnicalyst is making predictions based on technicals -- chart patterns and various indicators, rather than supply and demand, weather, politics, etcetera.

In giving advance notice of how the movie is going to end, the approaches have similarity in their folly. The answer (in my opinion) is to not say, "aha! because of pattern ABC, result XYZ must now occur...."

Instead, `tis better to say, "aha! because of pattern ABC, there is a favorable probability that XYZ could occur. But I recognize this is an odds game which means 1) it is normal, reasonable and expected for me to be wrong a portion of the time (the odds say so), and B) I must have a risk point, just in case this is "one of those occurrences" where the outcome falls against me.

The difference in the thought process is subtle but critical. A hard prediction locks you in, creates a psychological commitment, brings your ego into the game, and threatens to screw up your mindset in general. Whereas if you recognize trading is essentially nothing but an odds game, then flexibility and peace of mind have a better shot of remaining intact.

One of the hidden gems of this book was an excellent outline of why the contrarian method works. I don't want to give away Murphy's goods here, so I will just say that he points out a few very interesting reasons why it is natural for the majority to be wrong at turning points, and it is not simply because the masses lack trading ability or intelligence (though that is a factor, of course; the lumbering beast called Crowd is known for strong back and weak mind.)

To sum up, buy this book if you are new to technicals, if you want to brush up on your knowledge, or if you just want a handy reference. But be wary of the prediction trap. Keep your understanding of probability and odds intact.

I'm very happy finding so much reveiw about this book. now ,
future marketing
ng is growing fastly in my country .But here, so little book introduct about it.
can i buy this book,through Amazon?
Now ,i am in china!

Murphy has collected, collated, condensed and presented just about every method of technically analysing the futures markets. His text, whether dissecting simple or abstruse concepts, is remarkably lucid. Comprehensive and comprehensible, this is a reference futures traders must own. All I would have asked for in addition would be more suggestions for implementing trading strategies, but that, in fact, might require another book. If Murphy were to write it, he might outsell all those fake futures promoters and their $195 "courses" combined.

Murphy has taken a very technical analysis of a "dry" subject and turned it into a readable, useful guide that should by read (and referred to often) by everyone who dares trade in the futures markets. It's a great first book on the subject, and a great book for experts alike.

John Murphy's book is a modern day classic on the topic of technical analysis. His writing is precise and easy to understand- novice traders will especially appreciate this. Regardless of the title, the principles and techniques described in this book are applicable to not only the futures market, but to all markets, including stocks and forex. Highly recommended to all traders!

I find this reference to be greatly helpful. Bare in mind, that is a reference, not a textbook on organic spectroscopy, with little information on how to go about interpreting the various spectra. But nearly all the information one needs to interpret MS, UV/Vis, IR, and H and C NMR is in the book.

My favorite feature are the combination spectra of common solvents. Much more helpful than simply peak data. I probably look at those pages more often than any others. I recommend this book, especially to newer organic chemists.

I thought this book would have more information in it. Its good for basic organic courses...but even then, you could do better at the library. Quite disappointing

this book contains a lot of information, but organized in such a way that is easy to find what you need.

The book was in perfect condition and was sent at time.
I will agree that my first experience with Amazon was an excellent one.

Thank you

I'm taking an organic spectroscopy course for my graduate program in Organic chemistry and my exams consist of MS, IR, proton NMR, and C13 NMR spectra.

This book is absolutely incredible. It gives you chemical shifts for nearly every conceivable structure for proton and C13 NMR and it also gives you absorptions for the IR frequencies of known functional groups. It has helped me many times in trying to determine the structure of an unknown compound.

Like the other reviewer said, this book is the bible of organic spectroscopy. I see it being used all the time in the organic research lab when graduate students are trying to figure out what they synthesized.

I pass ccna2.0 with 935/1000 today. All I have is this book and Boson exams. I've read my friend's Todd Lammle book. I think this book is much better than Todd's. Todd's is written for passing the exam. For the ICND book, you actally learn the CCNA stuff in depth. I strongely recommend this book for everyone who want to pass the CCNA2.0 with FULLY understanding.

I pass ccna2.0 with 935/1000 today. All I have is this book and Boson exams. I've read my friend's Todd Lammle book. I think this book is much better than Todd's. Todd's is written for passing the exam. For the ICND book, you actally learn the CCNA stuff in depth. I strongely recommend this book for everyone who want to pass the CCNA2.0 with FULLY understanding.

I read ICND by Cisco Press before. I found this book used on Amazon and bought it just because it was cheap. Now I can not put it down. This book is far better than Cisco Press' ICND. It has about 100 more pages than Cisco's. To me it is worth every minute spent to read this book.
I passed CCNA in December. So, I don't have the exam pressure. I am reading this just for fun and enjoying it.
I strongly recommend it over Cisco's ICND if you intent to take CCNA test.

I just finished reading this book cover to cover and feel very confident about moving on to the next stage of my CCNA preparation, practice tests and simulation! I've been using the CCExam software from CCStudy.com as well as a few other practice tests and am amazed how easy a lot of the questions were after reading this book. Just an indication of how comprehensive this book is.

More important, in my opinion, is the book's "readability"! I'm sure there are numerous books that cover the exact same information as this book yet might not be written in a manner that is clear and simple to understand, especially for Cisco newbies like myself. This book is just a lot of fun to read.

Finally, I really enjoyed the "real world" tone of this title. It isn't written for someone who's bound for the testing center, but rather for someone who needs to apply the knowledge at work in the field. I'm certain that I'll constantly be using this book as a reference even after passing the exam. Very cool.

All in all, I'd like to recommend ICND to the Cisco neophyte who's looking for that great "First Book" to start off his or her Cisco library. I'm really glad I got this book and I'm sure you will be too.

Good luck on your CCNA!

I pass ccna2.0 with 935/1000 today. All I have is this book and Boson exams. I've read my friend's Todd Lammle book. I think this book is much better than Todd's. Todd's is written for passing the exam. For the ICND book, you actally learn the CCNA stuff in depth. I strongely recommend this book for everyone who want to pass the CCNA2.0 with FULLY understanding.