I heartily agree!! There are even HAM-Cram single day courses put on by some clubs that give you intensive instruction and allow you to take your test the same day! I, however, recommend the ARRL "Look Who's Talking" book because it really teaches you the theory behind radio, communications, and the FCC rules. One word of WARNING though, check the book to see what time period it is valid through. The current test questions are good through June 30, 2006. The new test question pool takes effect July 1, 2006. If you study a year-old book but take your test after July 1, you may not recognize the questions! One of the more recent trends in ham radio is Winlink which allows you to send and receive Outlook-style e-mail (locally with a basic technician license, or for hundreds or thousands of miles with a General or Advanced license) via a laptop and your ham radio without any kind of connection to the internet. When TSHTF, you won't have to rely on any infrastructure to communicate. After a major disaster (Hurricane Katrina and Rita come immediately to mind) about the only communication left after the storm will be amateur radio. See http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/PublicServiceStories/?evt_id=1 for some stories.

Welcome to the world of ham radio!!

Amateur radio callsign
W5ALN