Book excerpt: The Multimedia Handbook provides a comprehensive guide to the wide range of uses of multimedia. The first part of the book introduces the technology for the non-specialist. Part Two covers multimedia applications and markets. Tony Cawkell details the huge array of authoring software which is now available, as well as the distribution of multimedia data by telephone, cable, satellite or radio communications. There is an extensive bibliography, a glossary of technical terms and acronyms and a full index.