I have read countless books on the subject of antenna theory and design, and quite frankly, have found few that are particularly useful to someone practicing in this field. It seems most texts were written for the purpose of teaching first principles and the physics associated with basic electromagnetics, and less so on practical application. Its no wonder we keep hearing antenna design referred to as a 'black art'. Professor Balanis' book does do better on the design side than most other texts on this topic, save the work of David Pozar (see review). Still, a must have for the antenna engineer's library.