• The Bar Code Book: Reading, Printing, & Specification of Bar Code Symbols, by Roger C. Palmer. If you only can buy one book on bar code, this is the one.

• Revolution at the Checkout Counter : The Explosion of the Bar Code, by Stephen A. Brown, Harvard University Press. The Universal Product Code (U.P.C.)--a small rectangle of black and white bars--adorns virtually every retail item we purchase. Yet twenty-five years ago, the U.P.C. was a mere kernel of an idea shared by a small cadre of manufacturing and chain store executives. Here Stephen Brown, the legal counsel of those pioneering executives, traces its origin and evolution. The development of the U.P.C. illustrates the process of setting industry standards without government intervention and shows how systems of complementary technologies evolve. The economic consequences of the U.P.C. are investigated in an introduction by Professor John T. Dunlop and Jan Rivkin.

• The Bar Code Implementation Guide: Using Bar Codes in Distribution, by Dr. Stephen Pearce & Richard Bushnell.Richard Bushnell is an extremely knowledgeable expert on bar codes and system implementation. He runs ISIT, a very complete web site about automatic identification.

• Getting Started With Bar Codes: A Systematic Guide, by Richard Bushnell & Richard Meyers.Both authors are well known and experienced in automatic identification.

• Bar Code Technology in Health Care: A Tool for Enhancing Quality, Productivity & Cost Management, by Karen M Longe. Karen Longe is one of the bar code in health Care experts. If you are planning such a system, this is a must read.

• UPN Bar Code Labeling: A Guide for Implementation in Healthcare, by Karen M Longe. Another must read from Karen Longe, one of the bar code in health Care experts.

• Using Bar Code: Why It's Taking Over, by David J. Collins and Nancy N. Whipple. David Collins was the founder of Computer Identics, one of the first bar code companies. This is another excellent book.

• Understanding Bar Codes, by James R. Plunkett.

• Automatic I. D.: Questions & Answers, by Richard B. Meyers, Advanstar Communications, October 1994, paper back edition $29.95. This book is based on questions Meyer received as the "Bar Code Answer Man" at Automatic ID News.

• Financial Managers' Guide to Selecting & Implementing Bar Codes, by Arjan T Sadhwani, and Thomas Tyson

• Behind Bars: Bar Coding Principles & Applications, by C. J. Long, Peter L Grieco, Jr. and Michael W. Gozzo.

• Automatic Identification for Inventory, by Chapman & Hall.

The following are out of print, but may be able to be ordered thought Amazon.com's out-of-print ordering system.

• Sourcebook Of Automatic Identification And Data Collection, by Russ Adams I wrote this book. While the addresses and phone numbers of companies are a bit out of date, the book's basic information about bar code and other automatic identification technology is still current. This book is now out of print but may be ordered through Amazon.com's out of print ordering system.

• Lines of Communication: Bar Code & Data Collection Technologies for the 90s, by Craig K. Harmon. I co-authored the first comprehensive book about bar code (Reading Between the Lines which is no longer in print) with Craig. This book is another good choice.

• Bar Coding with Excel: Covering Both IBM & Macintosh Versions, by Irwin B. Galter. The book covers the subject in great detail. Includes a short overview of bar code technology and gives macro commands to develop and inventory control system and other types of systems.

• Automatic Identification : Making It Pay, by Kevin R. Sharp. Kevin Sharp is the Technical Editor of ID Systems Magazine.

• Industrial Data Management: Bar Code Management, by Harry E. Burke.

• Automatic Identification and Data Collection Systems, by Jonathan Cohen.

• Bar Codes: Design, Printing & Quality Control, by Guillermo Erdei.