Although there are countless volumes on web design and HTML, e-mail, which is probably the most popular application on the Internet, has far less coverage. This book aims to be a useful reference for this often overlooked subject.

The emphasis of this book is on e-mail itself rather than programming. Most of the chapters cover such topics as protocols, message formats, mail user and mail transport agents. This makes it useful reading for anyone wanting to understand the inner workings, whether as a user or system administrator.

One interesting topic is the vCard, a virtual business card, which can easily be created using a simple text editor. There is also a useful chapter on anti-spamming techniques and the author stresses 'This is NOT a manual for creating spam'.

The programming content provides an API reference for experienced programmers working in Perl and Java. Most of the examples are presented in Perl although the author explains that these should be easily ported to other languages.

The book includes numerous references to resources on the Internet for those seeking in depth information on areas of interest. It is rounded off by a discussion of the future of e-mail. Recommended.