Microsoft Office Publisher 2003: Introductory Concepts and Techniques

Rating:
Summary: Decent
Review: This is a very pretty and colorful book constructed with outstanding paper and quality binding. However the subject presentation seems geared toward high school age readers. A number of interesting example files are available and they integrate seamlessly with the chapter material. But the real problem is as follows. The author(s) will show a project (brochure, newsletter, etc.) that the reader is going to create using MS Publisher. Then the author will direct the reader step-by-step on how to achieve the desired end result. For instance: choose this option, pick this menu item, highlight this text, insert this file, and so on. But the author never explains WHY we did these things. Consequently if a reader is faced with creating a totally different project than the example he just worked on this book is no more useful than if the reader never opened it.

Books should provide the reader with the overall scope of a computer program and relate the underlying theoretical concepts behind the package so that when the reader is later confronted with needs unlike any of the included examples, s/he will be able to figure out on his/her own how to consummate the project. In this regard, the author fails miserably.


Rating:
Summary: Presentation trumps content
Review: This is a very pretty and colorful book physically constructed with high quality paper and binding. But the content seems geared toward mid-teen high school students whose normally short attention span must be maintained by bombarding them with all sorts of eye catching graphics. And if I were fifteen again I would probably enjoy this volume. In fact this book is a perfect example of content being totally obliterated by presentation (which seems to characterize our era.) But for somebody already in the work environment with computer experience who must quickly learn a novel product and implement their new skill immediately, this book would in no way assist in facilitating that goal.

One entire page (near the front of the book) is devoted to telling us about a fictitious Megan Rivera who works at an urban school located in a diverse neighborhood. Megan wants me (the reader) to design a flyer with her and we have so much fun working together accomplishing our project with Microsoft Publisher. Zippity do da. The real world does not have time for such meaningless verbiage.