I find the print quality very poor, especially for the example figures. Some of the print is so small and blurred
that I can't even read it with a magnifying glass. Otherwise the overall general text is pretty good.

I use this program because it is ubiquitous. But that is the only reason. There are programs now beginning to be available that are somewhat interchangeable with Microsoft Word, and it will be a blessing then I can get away from Word. It was a pioneer and therefore seemed great. But now we have much more sophisticated and user friendly choices beginning to come on the market

I was looking for a reference for Word 2004 that I could use to solve problems while I use Word. I am an experienced user and was hoping for something that would give me tips and insights into issues like how to work with anchors so that figures get positioned where I want them, and then stay there. Ms Langer's book is an introduction to using Word and is pretty much the same information you'll get from the online help. I've found it to be of little use for the issues I'm trying to address.

Like all of the Visual Quickstart Guides, this book is peppered with hundreds of screen shots and tips. This easily accessible, step-by-step guide will take you from absolute beginner to being able to use Word very well. The book does not cover the advanced techniques available in Word, but does show you how to use the vast majority of functions and menu options. At the end of the book, you will be able to create just about any document you could think of, even if it is not always done in the most elegant way available in Word - that is to say not using the elegance of the advanced functionality of Word. But in all fairness, this book does not present itself as an advanced tutorial, but as a beginner/intermediate book and in this it does deliver every thing it promises.

The step-by-step instructions are easy to follow and are nicely supplemented by the related screenshots. My one complaint is that there are several occasions in this book where, either because of space constraints, or because the topics broach the territory of advance techniques, or because she wishes you to learn by experimentation, the author will discuss a topic only to tell the reader to experiement with the different option buttons. While this is my one complaint, I did not find this too onerous, since this is how I learned Word in the first place. But for the newbie or faint hearted (when it comes to pressing unknown buttons on a computer) it can be a little daunting. Despite this minor issue the book is a great way to learn to use Word on the Mac and for the newbie or fainthearted, do experiment on practice documents before trying a technique on an important document.

While I have used Word for many years and know many advanced techniques of the application, I am happy to say that I did learn several tidbits that I did not know before. I highly recommend this book.

Very good Introduction, there is nothing comparable to this Book available in the European area on the same price class.