Sams Publishing is a company based in Indianapolis, Indiana that primarily publishes technical training manuals. Its parent company, Pearson Education, is an international publishing company that focuses on educational textbooks and media. Formerly Addison-Wesley Longman, Pearson Education was created in 1998 with the purchase of Simon and Schuster, which was merged with Addison-Wesley to create Pearson Education Canada.
Started by Howard Sams in 1946, Sams Publishing originally supplied high tech radio and television schematics and repair manuals. A forward thinking man, Mr. Sams realized that there was a burgeoning demand, and moved to fill the gap in the market. PHOTOFACT manuals, the original product of Sams Publishing, can be seen in a permanent display at the Indiana State Museum. After being sold by Howard Sams in 1967, the company became part of ITT’s publishing division, Macmillan. .Macmillan split Sams Publishing in 1987 into three divisions, and eventually sold its technical division to Simon and Schuster. From there, Sams arrived at its current home with Pearson Education.
At present time, Sams Publishing is a recognized leader in the computer media and technical book industry. They have over 500 books in print, and focus on helping professionals in the technology industry acquire and improve their skills. Notable examples of their textbooks include Red Hat Linux Unleashed, MySQL Web Development, and Sams Teach Yourself ASP. NET in 24 hours. Sams Publishing is well known for its Unleashed series, which are intended for professionals who already have knowledge of the subject. The Unleashed series provides a depth of coverage that allows the reader to examine more detailed nuances of the product or technique. These manuals are divided into sub-categories, which make it very each to target the specific issue being studied.
Many IT professionals suggest that should you have only one reference book on a given subject, you choose an Unleashed title published by Sams. The 21 days series of books, which as published by Sams cover technical and IT subjects, have proved so popular that many authors not associated with Sams Publishing now title their instructional or self-help manuals with the “21 days to†phrase, or style them in the same format. Works published by Sams Publishing will have the name Sams in the title, such as Sams Teach Yourself C++ in 21 days.
In addition to training manuals and textbooks, Sams Publishing also supplies a series of Teach Yourself Video Learner kits including topics such as web publishing, Twitter ACI, and programming languages. Many of their products can be downloaded as a PDF file, or read online, with access to updates and changes as they are published. Safari Online is an excellent source for printed and online high quality products from Sams. Sam’s products can also be purchased directly through the Pearson Online Store, and of course are sold at bookstores everywhere
