I'm a fan of the "For Dummies," books, which of course aren't for dummies at all, but rather for people who want to get up to speed on the topic without getting bogged down in esoteric minutia and technical jargon. Some of my favorite computer books are "For Dummies" editions, and the quintessential For Dummies Mac book, in fact the #1 all-time bestselling Mac book ever, is David Pogue's "Macs for Dummies," which has recently been released in its 7th edition.

If you're new to the Mac, or perhaps even not so new, this is arguably the first book you should add to your computer reference library, and even if you already have a copy of Macs for Dummies that you bought several years ago, you might want to update, since the Mac universe has continued to unfold.

New stuff in Macs For Dummies, 7th edition includes sections on Palm Desktop and iMovie 2, and a whole big chapter on AppleWorks 6, entitled, "A Whole Big Chapter On AppleWorks 6." Even more contemporary is a new chapter on Mac OS X, and also covered are Apple's Airport wireless networking system, USB and FireWire, DVD, the iBook, and I'm sure other things that were not even mentioned in the last copy of Macs For Dummies that I read, which was admittedly several years ago.

As for stuff held over from previous editions of Macs For Dummies, it has been revised and updated to cover Mac OS 9 (with a peek ahead to OS X).

David Pogue delivers a homily on Page 3 about Apple and obsolescence, noting that, "Each time Apple introduces a new Macintosh model, it's faster, more powerful, and less expensive than the model YOU already bought... If you're going to buy a computer, accept the fact that your investment is going to devalue faster than real estate in Chernobyl."

Of course that goes for computer books too, so what is not covered in Macs For Dummies, 7th edition, which was released in August, are the G4 Cube, the Paris iBooks, the Earth Tone iMacs, the Apple Pro Keyboard and Optical Mouse, and the dual-processor G4s -- the latter not really a big issue in a book like this anyway.

What is there, is the usual good stuff from David Pogue. -- a humorous introduction to the For Dummies book concept and pointers on how to approach this one; a basic Mac tutorial "For The Absolute Mac Virgin," instructions on using Macs and Mac peripherals which could easily have been boilerplate similar to what you could find in dozens of other Mac books, but which Pogue manages to make witty and entertaining.

Part II of the book is three chapters on using the Internet, including an AOL tutorial, a (Netscape) Communicator vs (Internet) Explorer comparison, e-mail tips, and info on newsgroups and on using the Internet as a giant back-up disk.

Part III contains tutorials on using Microsoft Word 2001, the Palm Desktop (on a Mac -- not on the Palm PDA; iMovie 2; the AppleWorks 6 chapter; a chapter on graphics and image input tools like scanners, digital cameras, and PhotoCDs; and managing your Mac OS System folder.

Part IV walks you through a grab-bag of Finder and keyboard configuration tips; a short course on networking -- either with wires or without; and a dedicated chapter on iBooks and PowerBooks.

Part V includes chapters on troubleshooting and preventative maintenance, the OS X chapter, and a chapter on getting tech support and System upgrading.

Part VI ("The Part Of Tens") contains lists of gadgets to buy and plug in, and "Ten Cool Things You Didn't Know Your Mac Could Do."

There are also appendices on how to buy and set up a Mac (including a review of the Apple product line -- less the Cube); and a handy list of Mac resources. There is a good index, which all computer books should have, but some don't.

Macs For Dummies sells for a modest $19.95 (currently available from amazon.com for $15.99).

Should you buy Macs For Dummies as a generic, do-all reference, instead of buying a more specifically focused "For Dummies" book? Actually, David Pogue has authored some of the latter as well, and there is a lot of crossover. If this is an issue for you, I suggest taking a look at my review of Pogue's "The iBook For Dummies," which might help you make up your mind.

It's hard to go wrong with any computer book by David Pogue, who is an accomplished professional musician as well as being a Mac guru, and who manages to be literate, technologically erudite, and funny all at the same time. This one is a classic.

Macs® For Dummies, 7th Edition
By David Pogue
Pages: 432
ISBN: 0-7645-0703-6
Retail Price: $19.99
Publication Date: 8/2000

For more information, visit:
http://catalog.dummies.com/product.asp?isbn=0764507036

Charles W. Moore

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