Desktop Publishing Books

Ms. Cohen's Quickstart Guide to InDesign was perfect for me to get a, er ... quick start in learning this sophisticated design tool. I write this as someone who's had lots of experience with other computer tools, but who's new to page layout; although I expect it'd be equally helpful to anyone who'd dare to approach anything as complex as a desktop page layout program.

The book's strengths, for me, are that it stays to the essentials (while including all of the essentials), is clearly and abundantly illustrated with screen shots, and focuses on a how-to approach with concise and consistently clear explantaions throughout. A perfect combination for me was to use this book to get started ... quickly ... and to refer to the Adobe manual and on-line help to research specific features in more depth.

Another of my favorite features is Ms. Cohen's informative, engaging and often amusing commentary in the chapter intros and sidebars. These lend a personal and welcoming touch to her deft and experienced treatment of her information-dense topic, and remind us that words can be fun, too.

Ms. Cohen's Quickstart Guide to InDesign was perfect for me to get a, er ... quick start in learning this sophisticated design tool. I write this as someone who's had lots of experience with other computer tools, but who's new to page layout; although I expect it'd be equally helpful to anyone who'd dare to approach anything as complex as a desktop page layout program.

The book's strengths, for me, are that it stays to the essentials (while including all of the essentials), is clearly and abundantly illustrated with screen shots, and focuses on a how-to approach with concise and consistently clear explantaions throughout. A perfect combination for me was to use this book to get started ... quickly ... and to refer to the Adobe manual and on-line help to research specific features in more depth.

Another of my favorite features is Ms. Cohen's informative, engaging and often amusing commentary in the chapter intros and sidebars. These lend a personal and welcoming touch to her deft and experienced treatment of her information-dense topic, and remind us that words can be fun, too.

This is my favorite book in the "Quick Start" series; as a novice typesetter and Adobe products users, I have them all. This is written in plain, everyday English, not tech-talk and begins at the beginning of the layout process with getting your first page formatted with margins and other variables. It also includes a quick start for Pagemaker and Quark users who might be more familiar with page layout programs. Numerous illustrations on each page help one figure out, among other things, what the buttons look like and what a baseline guide is. While InDesign borrows much from Pagemaker, Photoshop and Illustrator, it combines them into one program so one doesn't have to switch from one program to another to perform a task. This is my choice for InDesign books, although as the program matures, many others will surely follow. If you buy only one book about InDesign, buy this one. Aside from its' usefulness, it is an outstanding value, too!

This is the best yet book in this series. It is arranged logically and begins at the beginning in simple English and takes one through the program step by step, each step building on the one before it and adding to your proficiency level. I have sat with this book and followed it exactly and I think that it has been excellent in getting me started. Now I actually know enough to ask questions and look things up in the index! It truly is an easily understood book and very comprehensive and if you have any prior experience with Quark or Pagemaker, it will be a breeze to get up and running with InDesign. This book is an excellent value and the one you should really buy first. I doubt you'll need any of the others after reading this one.

"iPhoto 4: The Missing Manual" is an update of the 2003 book, "iPhoto2" and, like the original, is another in the well-respected O'Reilly Media "Missing Manual" series. "iPhoto4" covers the latest Apple iPhoto software while also providing basic instruction in near-professional quality digital photography.

Derrick Story and the Mac community's favorite writer, David Pogue, continue as authors. Besides covering the latest and newest features of iPhoto 4 like its Control Bar, speed enhancements, Star Ratings, Smart Albums, and more, this latest edition of the book continues providing practical guidance on selecting and using the latest consumer-level digital cameras and equipment. The emphasis is on providing information and guidance to move beyond mere snapshooting. It does take something more to become able to make quality images, both in acquiring the image in the camera and processing it afterwards. And, of course, having quality images is not of much use unless one knows how to store, display, and distribute them to friends and family.

In five parts covering digital cameras and photography subject items, iPhoto basics, creating and producing photo projects, advanced iPhoto tips, and troubleshooting, the authors provide all the guidance an amateur or advanced amateur needs for shooting, editing, and sharing digital photo resources.

New sections of the book include how to upgrade from iPhoto2 to 4, how to maintain and upgrade photo libraries and a special section on camera-phone photography.

This is an excellent volume and value for beginner to advanced amateur digital photographers.

Pogue does it again by explaining each feature in language that is easy to understand and pleasant to read. He doesn't rely on humor nearly as much as in the Dummies series (which he used to contribute to regularly). In the Missing Manual series he takes a slightly more serious approach (but his humor shows through quite often) and makes regular people like us able to do all the tricks of the pros.

Derrick Story does it again. This book is great and his other book, Digital Photography Hacks is also excellent. Of course, they are both valuable for different reasons, though this book starts by covering many of the same topics as Digital Photography Hacks by spending the first three chapters on how to take better shots. Bad photos make for a bad iPhoto library of course, so the advice is appreciated.

The bulk of the book is in explaining all of the features of iPhoto. Long term iPhoto users will probably not find any surprises here. It's a missing manual, so it covers the basics, and it does it well. For more advanced topics, like managing multiple iPhoto libraries, or making use of Applescript, there is some coverage at the end but not much.

Definitely a good buy for anyone just starting, or relatively unfamiliar with iPhoto and who is looking to use the application extensively to manage large numbers of photos. Probably also worth a look even if you are familiar with iPhoto.

You have a Mac, you have iPhoto 4, and you have a digital camera. This book will help you get the most out of all three. I was pleased to find a wide variety of hints, tips and advice covering all skill levels. My favorite tip was how to view the invisible PDF that is submitted to the Photo Book printer. If you plan on publishing a Photo Book, this tip alone pays for the price of the book in peace of mind.

The book is divided into four sections: how to take pictures, editing your pictures in iPhoto, sharing your pictures with iPhoto, and finally "iPhoto Stunts".

The first section has little to do with iPhoto and more to do with helping you do everything you can to get the best pictures possible before loading them into iPhoto. There wasn't anything really new here that you wouldn't find in any decent book on how to take good pictures, but it is handy to have it all in one book... You don't need an extra book on the basic rules to taking good pictures.

The next section describes the iPhoto library, where it keeps the files, what happens when you crop, retouch, enhance, or use the other simple editing tools. It notes that iPhoto is not for serious photo editing and points out a few other products that would be better suited for advanced editing. The step-by-step descriptions for each of the editing tools included with iPhoto are very easy to understand and follow.

The following section describes the many ways iPhoto helps you share your pictures. Among them are printing pictures, sending them to Apple for printing, creating a slideshow, publishing to a personal web site or to your .Mac account, creating a Photo Book, creating a Quicktime movie or an iDVD slideshow. There are plenty of screenshots and information for each of these, so you won't get lost between each step.

The last section is comprised of tips and tricks to satisfy your inner-geek; how to export pictures to your PDA, how to get pictures from your cameraphone, and several AppleScript tricks. There are also excellent tips on how to burn a CD or DVD to share with your family and friends running Windows. There is also an appendix that covers each iPhoto menu option individually and a troubleshooting section on common problems.

A very well done book - it really is "The book that should have been in the box".

This is set in today's world but reads like an old fashioned romance. I couldn't put it down.

I only wish there was another 100 pages as I wanted to know even more about the 2 main characters. Excellent prose and characterization.

The writing is superb.

This is a Keeper !

Look for the Bold Strokes Books edition published August 2004

For one very simple reason, Love's Melody Lost will forever be one of Radclyffe's most captivating and successful books....it's stunning. Rad constructs two characters that are both heartbreaking and inspiring. I don't think I'll ever forget my first glimpse of Graham or Anna, nor will I soon forget the realization I had when I discovered I'd been holding my breath through the last hundred pages. With passionate characters and a plot that simply demands your attention, you will be catapulted into the love story of two women destined to find their own amazing melody.

It is difficult when all of the author's books are my favorites to pick the "best" one.If I had to choose my favorite all time Radclyffe book, this is it. This is an intense, heart-stopping read where we see a little of ourselves in both Graham and Anna. We root for them against all odds. The build up of tension is perfect and heart pounding. Truly romance does not get any better than this. After reading this, you know why there is nothing better than women loving women.

"Love's Melody Lost" is a book to read slowly. Word by word Radclyffe builds a powerful, lyrical story.

Graham Yardley, a woman living in self-imposed exile, tortured by disability, disillusion and dark secrets. Was she responsible for the accident that left her blind?

Anna Reid, a woman making a new life for herself as the live-in-estate manager at Yardley Manor. Will her growing obsession for her darkly handsome employer blind her to the darkness within Graham?

Love's Melody Lost features a heroine so deeply wounded that it takes almost the entire novel for her to believe she is worthy of love.

Even then, it takes a near tragedy to engender real communication between the two.This is one of Rads¹s richer novels. Emotionally complex, laden with dynamic characters and highly charged love scenes, this is a story to savor long after you've finished it.

As many versions of Authorware I have used (3 through 6.5), this book has proven to be one of the "must have" in anyone's reference library. Great examples and simple explainations of all functions and variables. I only wish Joe Ganci would publish a new revision for Authorware 7.

This book is a must have for any serious Authorware programer. It is easily the best reference for an Authorware Programer and a nice addition to the documentation that comes with Authorware 3.X. This book is filled with usefull and practical tips on how to get things done in the most popular multimedia authoring language around.

Joe Ganci, active contributor to numerous online discussions of Authorware, has created a wonderful reference for those who want to squeeze out the functionality from Macromedia Authorware 3.

This book details how, when and why to use the functions that are invaluable to Authorware power users. I've reviewed this book more throughly at my Authorware book site (http://pobox.com/~betsy/).

Betsy Bruce, Authorware Consultant

Even though Macromedia has released Authorware 5 Attain, this book still is a very handy reference. The explanations and examples are great, if just all programming manuals were this clear and to the point... Highly recommended! /Johan Lundstrom

This book is very helpful and easy to follow. It's a very nice book for anyone trying to figure out Fireworks!

Fireworks made easy!!!

Having bought Studio MX 2004 because I wanted the easiest way to integrate graphics with DreamWeaver, I struggled and struggled to use Fireworks. I use Photoshop, but read how great Fireworks was and wanted to try it. I found that it's HELP is terrible, and not very useful to new users. Then I found Sandee Cohen's book, and all is now clear. This is a great book, walking the user systematically through how to use Fireworks, and emphasizing the ease and simplicity of keystroke shortcuts. Very highly recommended.

Macromedia is clearly devoted to the web page production business. Fireworks is their graphics package that is ideally suited for producing the kinds of images you want on web sites. It is also smoothly integrated into the rest of their packages such as Dreamweaver, which is hands down the preferred web authoring package available at the professional level.

If you're thinking about Fireworks but aren't sure, you can go to the Macromedia site and down load a free trial of the package to see if you like it. As for the literature that comes with it, you will find that this book is a much better option.

The Visual Quickstart Guides us an interesting format where each page has one column of text and another of screen images. The idea is to show and explain at the same time. This is a very easy and quick way to get up and running on a software package. The concept is good, and Sandee Cohen does a great job here.

I bought this book a few weeks ago because I appreciated its aesthetic. I sat down to read it this weekend and I was impressed (and surprised) to find it equal parts conceptual and practical. Mighty Assembly has managed to articulate the challenges of developing interfaces in Flash, where the possibilities can be overwhelming. They use simple language to explain their principles of design and how they apply to developing a cutting-edge, experimental Web site. As a designer myself, I'm drawn to the experimental and appreciate contemporaries who push the medium. It's intelligent, well written, and accessible. I am inspired and highly recommend this book to anyone interested in finding new ways to think about developing in Flash.

A 360 degree tour of the mind of top flash designers in the world. It is truly amazing to see a project through the eyes of the Mighty Assembly design team, who take the reader from ideation through execution. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in producing Flash sites that wow the mind and the eye.

finally a book like this exists (a flash book worth my money), covering one entire web site rather than random pieces of various sites. the content is excellent and well written (even friendly) and the book looks fantastic! i particularly like how the authors move in and out of describing the big picture and the minute details behind creating a web site - its one giant case study worth reading. please, more books like this mighty assembly!

This book is not only well written and a visual delight, but it also contains a wealth of hard earned knowledge that is worth much more than the cover price. A must for anyone designing and developing in Flash.

Too bad this book is out of print. I was impressed by the content, the ease of looking items up, and the examples. I wish the book had been updated for Rev. 13 of AutoCad. If you have Amazon try and locate a copy for you and they find one, consider yourself a luck programmer.

inside AUTOLISP first edition 1989 Dear Authors, I would like to order the lastest book that you wrote, Please contact me as soon as you can. Thank you

I did not need any other book on AutoLISP programming - This book went with me anywhere I did - the toilet , my bed , my computer desk. It DID NOT teach DCL programming so I bought another (by Christian Immler). If you want to see what I used AutoLISP for - check the website mentioned below. If you can get the book it - DO IT ...

This book provided tools for me to reason and develope my own applications. Fantastically written. A must for any serious user

I loved this book and found it to be extremely useful...If you use FrontPage 97, get the 2nd edition of this book called FrontPage 97 Unleashed, which is also written by William Stanek

No other FrontPage book compares. Clearly Stanek knows everything there is to know about Web publishing and design with FrontPage AND he's not afraid to share it with the world.

Great examples!

Great insights!

Great organization!

Sams marketing team is asleep at the wheel on this one. This book should be packaged with the FrontPage software and there should be in store promotions everywhere! William, find a new publisher. Sams is doing you a disservice.

Microsoft's FrontPage 1.1 is great, but I NEVER would have learned how to get the most out of the software without this book. If you use FrontPage 1.1, I highly recommend this book. If you use FrontPage 97, get the second edition. Either way you won't be disappointed. This book answered every question I had and opened a whole new world of possibilities. William, your book truly made the difference

Best coverage of FrontPage 1.1, which I still use. If you use FrontPage97, the second edition of this book covers it in great detail.

Some examples of documents are in color and others are in black and white. They all look good--professional. I think I can do that too, with the help of this book. Lots of good advice, tips and tricks. Good book!

This book is very easy to use, informative and has lots of good examples. It enables you to get the most out of Publisher 2000. There are many tips and tricks located throughout the book. Easy to read and comprehend.

The book has a lot of examples that showed me different ways to do my newsletter and other designs. I can never think of ideas for making the text and pictures look good together. Plus, the author uses a conversational tone in her writing...it's like she's sitting next to me and telling me what to do. Good book.

I like this book because the author offers a lot of tips and advice about using Publisher and about making documents look good.

The book 'more math into Latex' is a good tool which helps somebody without experience in Latex to start using it as soon as possible and reach an adequate level for simple enough articles very fast. I would not be able to judge this book for difficult Latex applications.

I am a LaTeX programmer and instructor. This weekend, I finally had time to read Part I of this book, Short Course, and paged through the other parts.

What a pleasure! Grätzer has an amazing talent to say exactly what is important, without putting in extras that will distract a reader.

You'd think that by this time I'd know enough LaTeX to, at least, get through the Short Course without learning anything new; but instead I ran into trick after trick that I didn't know. I use Beamer but I didn't know FoilTeX, the presentation package used in the Short Course. It's a great idea to let tell users very early on how to make a presentation from their papers, and then leave Beamer for full treatment later.

I very much like Appendix A, holding the reader's hand as LaTeX is installed. Then the three "productivity tools" are introduced, explaining how to use these tools on both platforms, and leaving the rest of the user interface for later, leisurely exploration, making it really quick for users to start using LaTeX.

Very early in the introduction, Grätzer talks about "the three layers" (TeX, LaTeX, and the AMS packages) and, from the beginning, use all three seamlessly. This is a radical new idea. It will substantially reduce the learning curve -- my students will appreciate it. The wonderful foreword by Rainer Schöpf (one of the two lead programmers of AMS-LaTeX) makes the role of the AMS packages clear in the historical development of modern LaTeX.

I really like the way you got to "Lines too wide" so early in the Short Course, explaining to the user the cause of the problem and solutions. Why do most books postpone this?

I better not go on and on. Just wanted to write these few lines about my enjoyment as I read this wonderful material.

I was a graduate student in math and faced the daunting task of typing my thesis. It was bad enough that I was inexperienced in writing math, but I was also a novice in LaTeX.

I tried two well-known books. In one, there is a Part I, Basics. This is for me, I thought. Unfortunately, it is 200 pages long and does not cover such elementary topics as the "cases" structure. For that, I had to go to page 288. The other book had "cases" hidden on page 238, under the title "Matrix like environments". Not very helpful.

What a relief it was when I came across this book. It helped me set up LaTeX on my Dell notebook (why do other books assume that you already have a LaTeX installation?). Then I downloaded the sample files as instructed and read the really easy 60 page Part I (Short Course). I worked through the text and examples in less than a day. Then I started writing my thesis.

In my spare time, I gave the rest of the book a cursory reading. Occasionally, I need to go beyond what is covered in the Short Course. For instance, as an analyst, I need complicated integrals not covered in Part I. (They are easy to find: in Part II, in the chapter on typing math.) And when the time came to give a presentation on my thesis, I went beyond the Short Course's section on presentations to Chapter 14, and I used Beamer!

Everybody was impressed.

Now I am Jim Whitby Ph.D. Thank you George for the help.

If you are a beginner, this is the your book.

What new can I write about a book that is in its fourth edition, and has served the LaTeX community for almost two decades?

There is a new chapter on presentations and an appendix on installing LaTeX on a PC and on a Mac, so you get help from the get go. Also, for the first time, this book merges TeX, LaTeX, and the AMS packages into one, smoothing the learning curve for beginner and advanced user alike.

If you are new to this book, I should start by pointing out that you get two for the price of one. A sixty page Short Course gets you ready to type your first article in an afternoon or two. The plentiful sample files help you get started fast.

The rest of the book presents a detailed survey of LaTeX: how to type text and math, document structure, presentations, customization, and long documents.

Gratzer teaches by example: each new concept is introduced with examples and sample documents, so you learn by doing.

Multiline math formulas is the most difficult topic of LaTeX. This is the only LaTeX book that dedicates 40 pages to this topic, trying to make it accessible with a Visual Guide and a verbal guide of how these multiline structures can be classified and understood.

Gratzer teaches by distilling the most important information you need. For instance, Beamer, the presentation class he presents, has hundreds of commands and its documentation runs to hundreds of pages. The Beamer chapter selects twenty commands, so you should be on your way writing your first presentation in hours not weeks.

This book has served me well when I started, and it is my constant companion, placed next to my computer when I type LaTeX.