A handbook is a type of reference work, or other collection of instructions, that is intended to provide ready reference.
A handbook is sometimes referred to as a vade mecum (Latin, "go with me") or pocket reference that is intended to be carried at all times. Also it can be referred to as an enchiridion.
Handbooks may deal with any topic, and are generally compendiums of information in a particular field or about a particular technique. They are designed to be easily consulted and provide quick answers in a certain area. For example, the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers is a reference for how to cite works in MLA style, among other things.
"Handbook" is sometimes applied to documents that are produced within an organization that are not designed for publication—such as a company handbook for HR, for instance. In this case, the term is used nearly synonymously with "manual."
The name "handbook" may sometimes be applied to reference works that are not pocket-sized, but do provide ready reference, as is the case with several engineering handbooks such as Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook, Marks Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers, and the CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. Handbooks are widely used in the sciences as quick references for various kinds of data.
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... The Handbook's content is created and modified by volunteers via ASHRAE's many Technical Committees (TCs), and then edited and formatted by ... ASHRAE's Handbook Committee maintains an Authors and Revisers Guide which can be obtained freely via the Handbook portion of the ASHRAE Web site ... For example, members of the Society's Handbook Committee and the College of Fellows review chapters each year ...
... The ASHRAE Handbook is the four-volume flagship publication of the nonprofit technical organization American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Condition ... This Handbook is considered the practical repository of knowledge on the various topics that form the field of heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, and ... An enhanced electronic version, known as ASHRAE Handbook Online is a web-based version updated annually that contains the four latest volumes as well as extra content such as calculations, demonstration ...
... upon Canadian sports remains his publication, The Hockey Handbook ... by one NHL coach as “the product of a three-year-old mind,” Lloyd Percival’s The Hockey Handbook went on to have an international impact ... In fact, the Soviet hockey powers based their program on the Hockey Handbook ...