Book excerpt: The field of quantum computing has experienced rapid development and many different experimental and theoretical groups have emerged worldwide.This book presents the key elements of quantum computation and communication theories and their implementation in an easy-to-read manner for readers coming from physics, mathematics and computer science backgrounds. Integrating both theoretical aspects and experimental verifications of developing quantum computers, the author explains why particular mathematical methods, physical models and realistic implementations might provide critical steps towards achieving the final goal - constructing quantum computers and quantum networks. The book serves as an excellent introduction for new researchers and also provides a useful review for specialists in the field