Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the book?
You’ll get well over 400 pages of answers in Behind the Code: some of it stories, some of it dates to help you decide when a practice became legal, or illegal.
What about illustrations?
You’ll see pictures of Code books going back to the early 20th century. These are books that were used in the field, and whose information went into the book you’re reading.
Who wrote what parts of the book?
The chapters on the origins of Code rules, which constitute the body of the book, were written cooperatively. Each author prepared chapters on topics that interested him, and passed the drafts on to his coauthor. The material before the preface and following Chapter 50 was added by the surviving author, David Shapiro, after Creighton Schwan’s death. The illustrations and their legends were added then, too.
Whose idea was the book?
Creighton Schwan proposed the project, inviting David Shapiro to collaborate with him. The idea was triggered by a comment from Gregory A. Moore, a Houston, Texas electrician, on the Electrical Contractor Network Discussion Forum.
How long did it take?
We put in about seven years on this project. Before this, of course, we put in many, many years learning about these issues. See About Creighton and About David for more on that.
What other books of Creighton's are available?
While Creighton was greatly admired for his writing, this is his only book in print. His editions of Practical Electrical Wiring and Wiring Simplified have long been supplanted.
What other projects is David working on?
David completed updating Old Electrical Wiring for McGraw-Hill in spring of 2010.
Each edition contains material that the other lacks.
You will find links to sites where you can purchase either edition of Old Electrical Wiring here.
You also can order his second book, Your Old Wiring.
As of February, 2011 David was discussing a possible project with a publisher; check back for updates.
He continues to contribute a monthly Residential Wiring column to Electrical Contractor magazine, work as an electrical contractor, inspector and consultant
in the Washington, D.C. area under the business name Safety First Electrical, and fulfill his various volunteer commitments.
Have you caught any mistakes?
Thanks primarily to the alertness of reader James D. Robinson, a number of errata have been identified so far. Corrections are shown at the Errata link.
Please send us a message with any additional questions. We will respond directly. In addition, questions and answers of general interest will be posted here.