Serial Port Complete: Programming and Circuits for RS-232 and RS-485 with Disk
Anyone who wants to build equipment and connect it to a computer will need the information covered here. It covers everything from the basic electrical and physical parameters, cables, and basic architecture to programming for PCs and microcomputers.  --Industrial & Control Systems, October 1998Axelson's book is about as complete a reference as you'll find on serial communications. The code could save you some time; the reference material surely will.  --Embedded Systems Programming, January 1999Despite the book's detailed technical content, the style is clear. Although it contains enough material to satisfy most hardware and software engineers who develop products containing communication ports, the book should also prove useful to serious hobbyists. Nevertheless, despite its broad appeal, Serial Port Complete is far from watered-down pablum.  --EDN, March 4, 1999Serial Port Complete is an accurate title. This book covers  everything you'd ever want to know about serial ports and network  projects. And it's not all theory. This is a very practical book, full  of detailed examples - including Stamps and Visual Basic. This book is  a "must-have" for serious experimenters.  --Nuts & Volts, Sept '98The part of the book I liked most comes in the section that  describes how to connect serial devices. Axelson covers not only  RS-232 communications but also RS-485, a serial standard that allows  for party-line or multi-drop connections. You would spend a lot of  time looking for all the information that the book collects in one  place. If you plan to use a serial port in any sort of application,  buy this book. It should go on your bookshelf alongside Axelson's  earlier book, Parallel Port Complete.  --Test & Measurement World, October 1998