The authors' premises are that textbooks on interpersonal communication should cover the influence of technology, the media, gender, and culture on person-to-person communication, and should widen traditional content to include contacts that occur in the family, on the job, and in the health care arena. This text is intended to expand students' communication knowledge base, enable them to apply interpersonal communication theory to their lives, and practice skills that will facilitate their becoming interpersonally competent. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.