It is just a bit ironic that a handbook on data compression has more than 1,300 pages and weighs in at seven pounds; however, given the scope of the book and the depth of the coverage, it is more than understandable. This book is a huge, comprehensive, and readable overview of the field.

It covers the general field of data compression in abundant detail. There are specific chapters on various general algorithms, as well as chapters on specific types--image, video, and sound--of compression. Some of these chapters are detailed enough to serve as standalone references--for instance, the chapter on image compression is just short of 300 pages. The topics covered in detail include general algorithms for compression, including Huffman coding, arithmetic encoding, dictionary algorithms, image compression, wavelet-based methods, video compression, sound compression, and a few more special-purpose methods.

The book contains numerous diagrams and tables, as well as some source code. The text is often enlivened by apt and humorous quotes; however, some of the quotes are just odd. Although there is an extensive glossary, chasing down acronyms and references sometimes requires multiple trips to the glossary and index; while this is probably unavoidable in a book of this size and coverage, a better index might make looking things up a bit easier.

This book may not be the best place to look if you’re interested in actually implementing any particular compression algorithm (although it should serve well to get an overview of such an algorithm). Instead, it is an overview of the methods and ideas behind the various approaches. If you’re interested in developing a new compression algorithm, this is certainly a good starting point. The book should also be of interest to those who are interested in algorithms in general, as most of the methods covered use some interesting techniques and data structures to handle compression (and decompression).

While it is far too encyclopedic to be used as a text in the field, the book offers abundant material that would serve well as supplementary reading for a class on compression or for a student doing graduate research in the area.

The book does have some problems. In some places, the material is not up to date--for instance, the time it takes to download something on a 9600 baud modem is given, which makes me wonder if it has been years (if not decades) since the section was updated. Also, in the section on wavelets, it looks like the complex conjugate was lost between one equation and the next; if this is not the case, more explanation is required.

That being said, such problems are minor. This work belongs in any library and is well worth reading--if not straight through (which is probably infeasible for all but the most dedicated), then by serious browsing and sampling.