• Both theoretical background and numerous real-world applications.
• Over 70 detailed examples, 100 problems, 180 illustrations, tables of notation and acronyms, and an extensive bibliography and subject index.
• A whole chapter devoted to a case study on turbo decoder design.
• Receiver design guidelines, rules and suggestions.
• The most advanced view of iterative (turbo) detection based only on block diagrams and standard detection and estimation theory.
• Development of adaptive iterative detection theory.
• Application of adaptive iterative detection to phase and channel tracking in turbo coded systems and systems representative of digital mobile radio designs.
• An entire chapter dedicated to complexity reduction.
• Numerous recent research results.
• Discussion of open problems at the end of each chapter.

1) They must have an idea of who the audience is
2) They must try to educate and not impress

On both these counts, this book is a disaster.

First the audience issue. Presumably, this book is targeted at both academia and industry. If you are in the industry and have an interest in Turbo codes, LDPC codes, Turbo Equalization, Iterative receivers etc., look elsewhere to understand these topics. This book is incomprehensible. IF you are in academia, perhaps you have a better chance of getting something out of it. But I believe the authors complicate very simple, elegant and subtle concepts to show how much they know. There are many well written papers on some of these topics and reading them is a better use of your time.

There are hilarious posters that show how one can complicate the equation 1+1=2. This book is a larger version of this pathology.

The topics addressed are very interesting indeed. It is a travesty that one of the first books addressing them is such a poor read.