The search for a fast means of communication began with various smoke-signal systems and led to the invention of the telegraph and, later, the telephone. In the past few years, technology has dramatically changed the telephone and its cousins: fax machines, cellular phones and modems. The Phone Book explores this communication revolution and explains how these devices work. Kids also find out about the global communications network and how it's linked by fiber-optic cables, satellites and microwaves. Activities, illustrations, stories and games present a lively history of the search for instant communication.