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Summary: The Author Comments
Review: I got the idea to do this book (and the other "From A to Z" guides) when my longtime publisher Microsoft Press decided not to continue publishing my Field Guides and Pocket Guides series. Those books, which sold more than 1.5 million copies, were really popular... but didn't make the publisher as much money as other more expensive books. Redmond Technology Press, fortunately, was happy to publish new, updated, improved A to Z style references... and that's how the "From A to Z" series and the Excel 2002 From A to Z book come to be.
I should explain a couple of important points about the Excel A to Z book. First, it uses an alphabetical organization so you would not sit down and read this book like you might read a novel or a regular computer book. Rather, you look up an Excel task or term in the same way that you might look up a word's definition in a dictionary or an article in an encyclopedia. Second, these books are really targeted at the beginning and intermediate user. An A to Z guide, like the Excel From A to Z book, probably covers much of the same ground, for example, as a Dummies book, a Complete Idiots Guide, or a Step by Step book (except in that alphabetical format of course). But an A to Z guide can't cover as much information, obviously, as a 1000-page computer book. (Okay, you'll be surprised by how much ground I do cover in this book, but there is a limit as to what you can do in a 200pp book--even if one is extremely efficient.)P.S. Amazon.com requires that I post a "star" rating of this book. I feel kind of sheepish about giving my own book a five-star review, but it really is a good book-better even than all those Field Guides and Pocket Guides I did for Microsoft Press for all those years.
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Summary: Professional Certification Magazine Review
Review: Perhaps the most handy reference collection we have seen come through our ProCert Labs, Stephen L. Nelson's From A To Z collection of quick reference guides really hits the spot. If you are using a Microsoft Office product (and if you are not: its time you bought yourself a computer), this handy reference guide will prove indispensable. Stephen L. Nelson has been writing quick reference guides for some time now, and it shows in this series. Organized alphabetically, each guide excludes an index because, after all, it is one. The navigation is easy and gets right to the point. I looked up "Selecting Text" and learned that there are six different ways to do so. I discovered each of the six ways in less than half a page; a testament to the concise and straightforward instruction in store for every reader. And don't let me fool you; the information available in each guide addresses the complex as well as the mundane. You will find quick reference tidbits on everything from Autoformatting (a bane to every Word user) to managing Text Formulas in Excel (which most of us would use if we knew they existed.) For you Access jockeys, having the Access 2002 From A To Z quick reference at hand will make Applying Filters as easy as cooking with Ron Popeil. The finer points of PowerPoint are described in understandable detail, and if you are looking to quell your questions about Outlook, you will find them the fastest in this quick reference. Bonus Situation: MOUS Aside from being a valuable desktop reference, each quick reference guide includes information about passing the Microsoft Office User Specialist exam, and promises that the guide includes all the information you will need to pass the test. Our quick review confirmed this, making these books an excellent choice for those of you who are working toward MOUS certification. The current series of quick reference guides includes: Word 2002 From A To Z
Excel 2002 From A To Z
PowerPoint 2002 From A To Z
Access 2002 From A To Z
Outlook 2002 From A To Z
Windows 2002 From A To Z
Each quick reference is about 200 pages, with the exception of the Windows XP quick reference, which tops out at 250. Under twelve bucks apiece, you can't miss with any one of the From A To Z quick references from Redmond Technologies Press. Each book individually provides excellent coverage of every function of its technology, and the entire collection represents a comprehensive must have for anyone who relies on the MS Office suite for advanced productivity.
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