Macintosh Books

This is a great learning tool to learn Aperture, it takes you step by step

If you own and mac and if you want to master Aperture 2...this book is for you.

The content of the book is completely up to date and it teaches you the marvelous wonders of Aperture....this is the future of photography. shoot in RAW mode, edit, and put it out there.

I love this book - although I have to say my review is in its infancy. I have just started learning Aperture and reading this book. Watch for more information in the future.... I just wanted to get something in so that you would at-least consider getting this book.

I dont know the author nor have I read any other books on Aperture...so this may be somewhat of a one handed bias opinion type thing...

My 2 Cents...

I found this book to be very helpful . It`s a tough read if you are using aperture for the first time . I really don`t know if they could of made it any easer . but over all I really enjoyed and constantly use it as a reference when needed . Tom Lavery

The book is really a hands-on workbook - you get a disc with sample files (annoyingly compressed, and not simply available through the finder), and are guided through different activities in Aperture, from importing and sorting, rating, through various basic image adjustments, to getting your images out of Aperture as prints, books and web pages. The book covers all major features of the application, and includes a few basic examples of how to use it in conjunction with other Apple software apps (Keynote, Pages, iWeb, etc.), including basic Automator actions.

Step-by-step instructions are very good, and are clearly written. The book is functionally, and logically organized. There is a benefit to using the images provided on disc, since it is easy to confirm that the visual outcome of various actions is the same as in the book. The lessons are, however, very (and I mean VERY) basic, despite the book's back cover rating as "Level: Intermediate."

For people who have NO previous experience with ANY image editing or photo-workflow software, this will be a good first step-by-step intro. But for those who have used the previous version of Aperture, intermediate / advanced users of iPhoto, and even very inexperienced users of Photoshop CS3/ACR or Lightroom (which would likely include most advanced amateurs and pro-photographers), this book will be too basic, in all respects.

I do NOT mind at all the fact that this book has introductory information. This would be a good thing. What I DO mind (and hence my lowered, 3-star rating) is, that despite it being pitched as "intermediate" Apple-certification guide, for those who are above the absolute entry-level skill set, it offers very little practical, usable info.

Often, the "explanations" offered are simple tautologies (i.e., things like: to sort, click on sort button, and to darken, click on darken button, etc.). This is particularly visible in weak and too general "explanations" given for some of the image adjustments controls. If you were wondering, for example, when to adjust Exposure, and when to adjust the Brightness control slider instead, you will find no satisfactory info to clarify the issue here - you will learn that "in the exposure area of the adjustments inspector, drag the exposure slider to the right to increase the exposure of the image" (p 215; duh!) and "Exposure adjustment controls [...] allow you to set the exposure (duh! again), black point, and brightness values in your images"; later you'll learn that "Aperture offers the Brigntess parameter when you want to lighten or darken the image." (p 223; yet another duh!). So what is the difference between the Exposure slider and the Brightness slider, you might wonder? Apparently both do the same thing (actually, they don't - but you'll never know the difference based on this book's info. or find any practical advice on when to use which one). More, similar examples could be found, and they are numerous. The authors insist on explaining in detail what is simple, and often quite obvious, yet frequently leave what is unclear, more complex, or not-so-obvious, unexplained.

I will take issue with another reviewer who found this book's design "beautiful" - the quality of color print is OK here - functional, and perfectly serviceable as illustration of processes and software features, but nothing to write home about. At times, the images are too small, and print quality (rather dark)) not good enough to make more subtle image adjustments visually obvious. If you want a beautiful (although not necessarily useful) software book with attractive graphics, compare this with "Photoshop Lightroom Adventure: Mastering Adobe's next-generation tool for digital photographers" - and it will not be a favorable comparison. Alas, there is no "Aperture 2 Adventure" equivalent. Too bad.

I found the book's design to be rather annoyingly "loose": there are pages when small images (all placed inline, with no text wrap on the left or right side on any pages) with 2.5-3 inch margins, leave an awful amount of blank, awkwardly empty space on numerous pages. E.g., p. 66, has just two, small images and a total of about 60 words on the page (yes, I actually counted them on p. 66 which is quite typical of the book's design). I can think of many, by far more efficient, not to mention attractive, book designs (think: Pogue's Missing Manuals series); this one-column, inline-images-only design looks like it was done on MS Word (although I am sure it was NOT), and seems padded. My guess is, with more effective design, it should have easily been been a 250-page book; at almost double that, it's just wasteful.

This book has the "Apple Certified" status / label. Depending on how you look at it, it may be a good thing, or a bad thing. On the plus side, it is confirmed to be accurate, and it is the required reading for level-one Apple certification; on the other hand, the authors have to carefully toe the Apple party line. You will not find here mentions of bugs, the software's shortcomings, and their possible workarounds (if available), or mentions of competing products that may address some of the shortcomings better. The software is always lavishly praised (it's "revolutionary"), and its deficiencies are gently "de-emphasized," i.e., presented so as to be less noticeable. For example, when discussing Apple's (quite functionally limiting) plug-in architecture, authors say "Aperture also supports an open plug-in architecture, for using specialized third-party software." (306) What they omit here, is that the plug-ins are NOT non-destructive editing processes, and only work by virtue of creating a "baked" copy of the image; the changes made with plug-ins, once confirmed (OK'd and rendered) cannot be undone (other than by deleting the image copy). Technically, the authors mention that fact, but only several pages later (312-13), and without making it clear that this restriction applies to ALL plug-ins, not just the one used as an example.

IN SUMMARY: For complete beginners, this book is a good, clear entry-point to Aperture 2 - probably the best and most comprehensive one on the market at this point (June 2008); for anyone even slightly above the beginning level, other than a very basic (although admittedly comprehensive) review, there is little more to discover here; for those intermediate and advanced users, I would highly recommend trying the 1.25 hour video "Aperture 2: New Features" instead; it's available on lynda.com, where you can get a free trial and watch the whole series, also including several hours of still-useful tutorials on Aperture's previous version (also available as ridiculously overpriced book/disc sets: Aperture 1.1 Essential Training and Aperture 1.5 Beyond the Basics)

This book comes with a DVD with media files to load to a Mac and then follows step by step on hands learning for work flow within Aperture 2.
The book starts with the basics in a Getting Started chapter outlines system requirements, setting up the environment and system preferences, calibrating display while explaining methodology and course structure, as well as outlines chapters that are for importing and organizing, image editing and printing.
I believe it would be quite useful to anyone new or casually familiar and yet serious about using Aperture 2.

After the first few titles, the "Hacks" series quickly deterioriated. "iPodf & iTunes Hacks" is evidence of this deterioriation. There is no content of value here unless you are seriously obsessed with your iPod and your Macintosh. Yes, Macintosh. There is virtually nothing in here for the Windows user, although Windows has better than a 95% marketshare. Get the idea that this book is intended for serious Mac zealots? The author(s) make it crystal clear with numerous uncomplimentary remarks about Windows and Windows users along the "you're dumb if you don't use a Mac" vein. So better than 95% of the market is dumb . . . The book has a 2005 copyright, so the Windows version of iTunes was available, it was just ignored.

The author(s) (the volume is a compendium of attributed entries)were obviously desperate for content. Four pages are given over to iTunes Keyboard Shortcuts, something you can find in the iTunes help file. Fourteen pages are devoted to spending $400 - $500 on building from scratch a plastic center console for your car to hold your iPod. (The cost is for materials only: considering that you have to create a mold and so forth, the labor component would be considerable.) One the key components is an Apple logo decal. You can see this book is for people with a very peculiar mindset.

Other hacks are of equally dubious value, such as the one that shows you how to "clutter your desktop with click-to-play album covers from your iTunes library." Many of the so-called hacks are nothing more than referrals to third-party software which isn't free.

The devoted Macintosh fanatic, the kind of person who wants to decorate their car with Apple logo decals might find something of value in this book. I surely didn't. Except for strangeness like building the car console, everything in the book can be found on the web.

Jerry

I am really enjoying this book. It's a breezy romp through a lot of different technology all in some way connected to novel uses of the iPod. Many of the articles are simply features or aspects of using the iPod or iTunes that simply may not have been apparent. My personal favorites are the ones where the iPod is used with something else. Though I don't own a BMW nor do I have the inclination to fabricate fiberglass, it was fun to see how you integrate your iPod to a BMW, including its onboard computer and electrical system. Booting linux on an iPod is almost a punk gesture, one that you might not consider especially useful, but seeing how it has been accomplished is half the fun.

Its also a book about reverse engineering using the iPod as the center of several case histories. What is interesting is not just what you can do with an iPod but how you find out for yourself.

By all means buy this book if you want to twist your iPod(s) (you may need a few to explore it all) but ... even if you want to do nothing and just live vicariously through others accomplishments, buy it anyway.

I did find it really hard to play my iPod (which I enjoy doing while I read) and also to play with my iPod, something the book constantly challenged me to do. So, that's another reason to get two ... so you can listen to music on one and hack the other. Lots and lots of fun.

I flipped through this in a local bookstore recently while trying to kill some time waiting for my girlfriend. Like most hack books this book contains a collection of some simple, obvious hacks and some that are slightly more complex. Most if not all of these can probably be found by doing a few targeted searches on the web or digging through news groups but the convenience of having it all in one bound book at your fingertips is probably worth the price. This book covers hacks for Mac, Win and Linux with the bulk of the "good" hacks for Mac only thanks to AppleScripts.

I must say I love this book. If you have a iPod, GET THIS

While most of the hacks in this book are fairly benign, some are not for the feint of heart. In true hacker form, the author dismantles not only his iPod, but his car! You say you want to connect your iPod to a Linux machine? How about installing Linux right on your iPod!

This is a terrific book for anyone with the hacker spirit. But be careful. It will definitely leave you wanting to buy at least one more iPod to play with.

Good book, needed to learn in class. Maya is a very vast program, many books will be needed for tutorials.

i felt this book was really boring and uninformative. it was required for a class, and i bought a new one, becasue it just didnt describe things in an engaging manner.

This book is awesome. I would recommend this book to anybody who has ever looked at Maya and felt overwhelm by all the menus and features. This book gives you information about the tools and menus and some uses of the tools in plain English with plenty of black and white visuals.

I am a novice with Maya and this book is a godsend. I've tried those "learn by following me" books but I would get lost along the way and most of the time I am just mindlessly clicking on stuff. Visual QuickStart Guide for Maya 6 sympathizes with the complete newbie by clearly explaining how things work and in some cases which method is more appropiate. Plus,it is cheaper than the Official Learning Maya books.

Note: This Book is a reference so don't expect to learn how to model a character by reading this book. However it is still helpful if you are doing one of those "follow me" tutorials or taking a class and you just need something to fill in the blanks or explain the tools.

This is a great book. You cannot beat the clear and to the point explanations of Maya's features. I really wish the writers would create individual books on Poly modeling and NURBS modeling.

I've used visual quickstarts books to get up to speed quickly on HTML, Photoshop, and CorelDRAW and they've always been a good investment. The Maya 6 visual quickstart follows this pattern. Unlike most Maya books, the quickstart series is not project based, which is one of it's strengths. The book focuses on the interface, tools, and options, which in the long run makes it great reference book. With a project book, you really need to be sitting at the program to make sense of it. With quickstart you can read it pretty much anywhere and gain useful knowledge. Project base books are great, but make sure you have a copy of these book handy for more explanation on tools and options.
Since this works as a reference book, it has a much longer shelf life, since you can always come back to it to refresh your memory or look up a question.

I couldn't believe the thoroughness of this book! Very descriptive, nicely organized for each component of the massive suite program. Until I read the book I was utilizing less than 20% of the suite program's potential. "Mastering Powerpoint" was a masterpiece! Get this book before it's out of print

What sells this reference is it's lovely (and very persuasive) cover design. It would appear to be a 'Complete Reference' but it's not. There is much instruction that simply doesn't instruct, typos, and lots of wrong information. The 'Advanced Word Processing Techniques' chapter of the Word section is especially disappointing. Auto-Chapter Headings, headers and footers that work? Not here. Thanks to this book I've been spending more time (and quality time at that) in the Word newsgroups (and getting straight info). Any reference that 'fluffs' itself up with large type, large pictures, generous line spacing, and page after page of hugely set keyboard shortcuts is simply trying to fill up space. Look at other reference books before considering this one.

Despite what this other reviewer told you, this book indeed has a section on outlining in Word. I'm looking at the 3rd printing, which also has some material on the Mac OS X version. Evidently that other reviewer read a different book and got confused.

I highly recommend Mr. Steinberg's book for a thorough look at the Mac version of Microsoft's office productivity suite.

I had a question about using outlines in Word. (Why my "body text" styled paragraphs are showing up with Outline Level 1.) I turned to this book and looked in the index. It mentions only two pages about outlining in Word: "outlining documents, Word 2001 keyboard shortcuts, 288-289." The rest of the outlining entries concern PowerPoint and Excel. So, even though I'm using Office 2001, I turned to my copy of Office 98 Bible by LeVitus et al. It has 13 pages about outlining in Word. So I'm ordering the Office 2001 Bible now. The "Complete Reference" failed me on my admittedly only test so far.

This "missing manual" reviewer sounds like he or she is involved with that other book. In fact, the Office 2001 for Mac: The Complete Reference title has plenty of highly advanced information on using formulas in Excel, using the List Manager, and setting up mail merges in Word. The person who says otherwise isn't telling you the truth about this book. It's great, just great!

If you wish to learn to search the easy way (not trial and error like I did), buy this book and Secrets of the Super Net Searchers, as well as the Alta Vista guide. You will not be disappointed - the time you will save is well worth the price.

     The Internet has become a vast depository of information providing an extremely broad variety for just about every imaginable need. The amount grows daily. There is information online for business professionals, tradesmen, technicians, engineers, educators, researchers, students, companies, as well as for the average person on the street. Finding the right information in a timely and proficient requires a disciplined approach.      Tara Calishain and Jill Alane Nystrom have written Official Netscape Guide to Internet Research to provide an extensive collection of essential online research tools and instructions on how best to use them. They also offer basic instruction in the use of the Netscape browser and a number of plug-ins and offer plenty of help putting them to effective use to intelligently find information online.      This research reference guide is thoughtfully written and easy to navigate. The Websites featured are among the best resources available. Readers can access them to seek employment, to obtain business information, to keep in touch with local, state, and federal governments, to get the latest consumer reports, to tap into the rich resources offered by leading magazines and newspapers, and much much more!      Especially helpful to readers are the many tips and advice that grace the book. They offer additional help to make researching easier. For instance, readers are encouraged to cultivate friends, to employ time-saving steps, and to consider their needs carefully before paying to use fee-based databases. They are encourage to become skilled at researching, reading, and putting information to use. Good advice considering today's economy!      The authors demonstrate genuine appreciation for the wealth of information online, the means to obtain it, and desire to instruct their readers to effectively harness them to meet their own needs. Regardless of the browser and kind of computer one has this book will make online information gathering an easier and more enjoyable task to accomplish. Highly recommended!

There are lots of books out there about Internet research, but this is hands down one of the very best.

The book is targeted at beginning and intermediate-level Internet users, but users of all abilities should find it extremely useful. I like to consider myself a fairly experienced Internet researcher, but by the time I finished the book a forest of Post-It notes had sprouted from pages that listed sites or techniques that I wanted to try.

To top it off, the book is written in a lively style. When was the last time someone said that about a computer book? Bruce Maxwell - Author, "How to Find Health Information on the Internet"

Maybe it is just me, but I found the explanations confusing, and a bit unfocused. The book does provide useful information, but I think it could have been conveyed better.

This book is an indispensable source of knowledge about the Internet in all of its facets. For the newcomer, it provides guidance; for the more experienced user if provides valuable source material. The book covers Netscape's capabilities, mailing lists, newsgroups, and the World Wide Web, with facts about search engines and many other research resources. It supplies useful tips, sage advice, and valuable cautions about using the Internet for both formal and informal investigations. The writing style of Tara Calishain and Jill Alane Nystrom is direct, clear, and entertaining. The book could very well be used for a course on the Internet, as a rare example of a textbook that is fun to read. Dr. Raymond L. Murray Nuclear Engineering N.C. State University Raleigh, NC 27695

Professional Photoshop 5 is out now. Where is it Amazon? If you have not worked extensively in color correction you will need to read this a couple of times to use all the techniques involed, but, you will understand it all. It helps alot if you know Photoshop well.

Dan has an easy style that is very readable.Not for the novice but a must for anyone serious about color correcting.I didn't like having to flip back and forth to see examples on different pages.Some of his explainations would have been easier to follow if the examples were adjacent to the text. I didn't find that it was written at the time Photoshop 3 was out any impediment. Photoshop 5 is out now and it is just aas germain. I also read his other book Makeready which was just as good and not a rehash. I went to his course in Atlants and it was great. I understand he is working on a new book now and I'll be first in line to get it.

I purchased this book based on the online reccomendations of others. I was shocked to learn that the entire focus of the book is on CMYK color and not RGB! (I only work in RGB as do many others.) This was rather misleading to say the least. I urge those of you who DO work in RGB to pass on this book. It is strictly designed for CMYK. Howard

Though it competes in some ways with my book (Adobe Photoshop 5 How-To, ISBN 1571691561), I think there is a healthy difference of opinion and technique in this book. Certainly a valuable tool in learning to use Photoshop tools and image theory. One of the few I recommend.

This book completely changed what I do with Photoshop. Now I can make people look 90% better in 10% of the time. I can increase contrast without blurring the colors. I can make printed stuff turn out consistently. Wait'll you see what he says about all this fancy calibration hardware (you don't need it. He proves it). After I read this book in 1995 I started looking for anything by Margulis. I'd do anything to get a copy of that type book he wrote a few years back--already asked Amazon.com to find it for me. I'm waiting with abated breath for Professional Photoshop 5.

Running Mac OS X Tiger
A No-Compromise Power User's Guide to the Mac
By Jason Deraleau, James Duncan Davidson

If you are a power user on another platform, or a dedicated Mac user that wants to learn more, "Running Mac OS X Tiger" covers several topics that will help you understand and control your Macs at a much deeper level. Each chapter contains details on a topic, and includes ways of handling the given topic from both the familiar Macintosh graphical interface, and from the terminal (the command line).

My two favorite chapters, chapters Six and Eight, titled "Users and Groups" and "Files and Permissions" delve into issues that mystify and plague many Mac users. If you've ever had trouble creating, moving, or deleting a file on a Mac, you'll now know why, and how to get around these issues.

As the subtitle of the book suggests, this is not a book for beginners. Topics that may seem simple, such as Chapter 10: Printing, contain a vast and dizzying amount of information. This level of detail is both the strength and weakness of the book. Oddly, some things are explained at great length and in simple terms, yet at other times advanced topics seem to be glossed over in a cryptically geeky shorthand style of writing. This may not be an issue to those who are already power users on other systems (Unix, Windows), but it may be daunting to a Mac user looking to step up to the next level. Thankfully, the end of each chapter includes a "Further Explorations" section, which may help lift users up.

James Duncan Davidson and Jason Deraleau's Running MAC OS X Tiger: A No-Compromise Power User's Guide To The Mac is for advanced OS X users who want more details on customizing Tiger. From creating user accounts and handling files and permissions to managing printers and monitoring activities, Running MAC OS X Tiger is packed with shortcuts, tips, and customization options.

James Duncan Davidson and Jason Deraleau's Running MAC OS X Tiger: A No-Compromise Power User's Guide To The Mac is for advanced OS X users who want more details on customizing Tiger. From creating user accounts and handling files and permissions to managing printers and monitoring activities, Running MAC OS X Tiger is packed with shortcuts, tips, and customization options.

Are you a user or power user of Mac OS X? If you are, then this book is for you! Authors Jason Deraleau and James Duncan Davidson, have done an outstanding job of writing a book that will help you master the latest version of Mac OS X.

Deraleau and Davidson, begin by discussing how the Mac OS X system operates to this day. Then, the authors show you how to get going with Tiger and help Tiger get going on your Mac. They continue by examining diverse tools and how they work together to form Apple's next-gen OS. Next, the authors show you how to use the Terminal and how to configure the various shells on the system. Then, they look at what gets executed when and what the various boot options are. They also dive into the question of why there are multiple users on the system and why they are gathered into groups. Next, the authors show how Open Directory works and how to modify data contained within it. Then, they explain the various attributes and permissions that a file can have and how to work with them. The authors continue by giving you the lowdown on the different kinds of filesystems you can use and the pros and cons of each. They then give you a detailed look at how printing works, and how to use print servers, how to connect with Windows-hosted printers, and even how to share your ink jet printer with Windows users. The authors also show you how the networking system works including wireless, spontaneous networking, and Internet Connection Sharing. They continue by covering the Console, System Profiler, Activity Monitor, and many other tools as well as give you the skinny on what to look for in your system's logfiles. Next, the authors dive into using Automator and other tools for automating your Mac. Finally, the authors show you how to modify preferences stored in the system in a variety of ways.

In this excellent book, you'll learn how to get the most out of the pretty GUI. You will also learn how to dive into the Unix layer of the system to take fine grained control when you need to.

'Running Mac OS X Tiger' by James Duncan Davidson is for those Mac users that want to get beyond simply surfing the Internet, writing some emails and moving files from one folder to the next. Written in an easy to follow manner, this book will take you from the basics of using the computer that you love so much and move on to the next level. From scheduling tasks to learning more about the filesystem to creating accounts and managing users, this book is a joy for anyone that likes to tinker around and learn new things.

Chapter Overview:

01. History
02. Installation
03. Overview of Tiger
04. Terminal and Shell
05. System Startup and Login
06. Users and Groups
07. Open Directory
08. Files and Permissions
09. Disks and Filesystems
10. Printing
11. Networking
12. Monitoring the System
13. Automating Tasks
14. Preferences and Defaults

Recommending this book is a piece of cake. This has the brevity that I desire, yet the dense writing that I also seek. The chapters are logically laid out, and it's a joy instead of a task to read through this text and play around. If you want to learn more about how to make your Mac a powerful tool, pick up this book, you will not be disappointed.

***** RECOMMENDED

The new NPR 5th edition is an excellent resource for anyone needing to prepare for certification for NPR (i.e. ob/neonatal nurses, OB's, pediatricians, perinatologists, etc)

It is easy to read, has repitition that allows reinforcement of principles learned throughout the text. Quizzes appear throughout to assist in retention and integration of information.

The DVD-ROM included in the book is improved over the last one. For the visual learner, this is most helpful. The DVD-ROM includes, computer generated images, scenarios, and the book quizzes as well. An excellent adjunct to the book, that can be used as a stand-alone review.

There are a few discrepancies between the book and the DVD-ROM, but overall the set together is worth the price.

There is also the availability to take the NPR written examination on-line and then locate an instructor to complete the practical sessions. This is helpful for any busy practitioner when needing to schedule this exam, since the written component has close to 100 questions.

I found that this version was extremely useful in preparation for taking the NRP renewal test and practical for the mock code. It is also a great reference manual in my work in the NICU. I like that it came with a DVD.

Expanding on previous editions, the latest version of NPR provides a clear and concise format with which to study from in order to prepare and successfully pass the NPR exam. The included CD-ROM is a computer version of the text reading material. It did, however, have the appropriate videos which would assist any RN needing a quick review of various situations presented in real-time format. The book is highly recommended to any health-care professional needing information for the first time or any time usage for neonatal care.

Studying for my renewal for NRP proved to be as easy as the initial class with the cd-rom. I have extremely limited contact with this pt. population, but I am able to easily recall the information attained through this text/multimedia. Although nothing substitutes actual "hands-on," instruction or experience, this will provide a valuable asset for the ACLS/PALS impaired.

The book has absolutely everything you need to know word-for-word to get certified in NALS. It comes from more of a nursing perspective so little details like how to operate the jackson-reiss and anatomy of the airway will be extremely redunant for respiratory therapists.

I found the CD-ROM included was very buggy in my computer. While it was helpful to see everything happening at once, the videos' content should have been more closely watched, since during a chapter about mechanical ventilation saying bag at around a rate of 40, will clearly show the person at the head ventilating at a rate of closer to 70 or 80.

Web editors can only get you so far...eventually you have to learn basic HTML coding. This was the first html book I ever read and it taught me so much that I was able to build my own website and also troubleshoot problems in the coding. Eventually you'll want to get a more advanced reference, but this book is a GREAT place to start and I recommend it to everyone I know who has an interest in HTML coding.

es pret

This book is very easy to follow. it has almost every aspect of the HTML language. I recommend it strongly

Don't buy one of those gigantic 30lb books w/ a CD in the back... they're overwhelming and expensive... and totally over-blow the whole simplicity of web development.

Tim Evans nails it on the head. I bought quite a bit of intro books when I wanted to put up my first web page... they are all boat anchors and door stops now.

I have been a professional web designer for over 4 years and I owe it to this easy intro by Tim Evans. I read the small book in one day and I had my first web page up in 5 minutes.

Anytime someone asks me how to get into web design & programming, this is the only book I recommend.

It's cheap, it's short and it gets right to the point. Thanks to Mr. Evans for being a cybergeek AND being able to speak to neophytes at the same time!

I'm reviewing this book from the point of view of an advance html programmer. I do agree the book is easy to understand, but a bit unorganized and incomplete for a 10 minute guide or reference. The book lacks many attributes within a tag. This book is "ok" for beginner, but even if you're a beginner you don't want to buy this book. It's old, incomplete and chances are you'll have to look for another html books after this one. It's not a good book to keep as a reference either. It's good to look at this in a library to understand what html is about, then go buy a more complete book to keep. And don't buy a big fat one either. Eventually you'll want a small, thin pocket book with all the tags and attributes and what each one does just to refresh your memory 'cause there is nothing much in html.

This book covers all the Podcasting bases, and IMHO is a bit better than "Podcasting for dummies". However, the author does newbies a disservice by posting screenshots from a $50 commercial sound editing product in addition to the popular and free "Audacity" software.

Podcasting beginners would do well to spend their money on a good USB microphone before plunking down cash for software they can get for free.
If they decide to pursue podcasting further, they can always upgrade the software later when they have a better idea of what they want to do...

Similarly, newbies should not think too much about mixing boards, XLR mics, etc. when just starting out. Let's keep it simple!

Just my $0.02 ...

I bought this book for a class I'm taking to obtain my degree and had no idea what podcasting was. This book is fantastic in the aspect of helping create a podcast for any size audience. It's easy to follow, easy to understand. The only fallback is that it does not offer software but it does reference a website or two where there are free downloads available. Happy Podcasting!

This book was so informative because it told me things that I didn't even know I had to know before producing a podcast. The authors made the book not only easy to follow but included some humor along the way. They included free websites and the best info on hardware that is needed too. At the end of every chapter is a section called "The Absolute Minimum" which gives a synopsis of the best and most necessary info of the chapter. I found that extremely helpful. This is the best book for the beginner because it explains everthing in easy to understand terms without being dry and totally technical.

The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Podcasting is a foolproof guide to making and producing your own podcast. From beginning to end the book spells out everything. From technical jargon to the pace of your podcast this book is there to help. It is easy to follow and has great page layouts that your eyes can easily focus on. In each chapter they also include small insets that give you a tidbit of history about podcasting. While podcasting's history isn't long they give great insight into subjects like the "Podfather", Adam Curry, who is seen as, the name implies, the forerunner for podcasting. This book is a beginning podcasters bible. That is the very best thing about it and possibly its only downside. It sets out to teach a novice the ways of the podcasting world and achieves that goal. If you have already tried your hand at casting and have a good idea of how it works this book wouldn't be the best choice for more advanced casting techniques. All in all the Absolute Beginners Guide to Podcasting achieves exactly what it is setting out to accomplish, giving beginners a guide to the growing world of podcasting.

Even if you know nothing about podcasting, you can produce your own cast within hours of getting your hands on this book. But what surprised me is that even if you're a seasoned podcaster you'll likely learn some good stuff from this book. It's definitely staying on my resource shelf, especially for the great detailed sections on sound production (both the physical gear like mics and the digital processing stuff).

What sets this book apart, though, is the in-depth discussion these authors deliver about show content. I've listened to the first 5 minutes of so many podcasts where the personality behind the mic was clearly interesting, but I didn't have the patience to sit through the loose drivel between entertaining or useful nuggets. This book does a great job guiding the podcaster to devote a little more directed energy to preparing a tight high-quality show. As an avid listener I can tell you this is almost required to get me on to minute 6, and a must to get me to subscribe to your cast.

The book has a nice conversational tone, making it a quick read. It's also laid out so that you can easily jump between sections if you're looking for something in particular, or want to save the detailed tech stuff for later.

My only negative comment about the book is that a few of the screenshots didn't print with enough contrast to make them easily readable. Other than that, I wouldn't change a thing. Great book, and a real bargain at less than $20.