<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Not quite the book I thought it was
Review: As a librarian in the computer center of a public library I am often asked for help in setting up and using e-mail accounts. At first glance this seemed exactly the book to make my job easier; it is compact, well illustrated and gives the user a basic introduction to understanding and using e-mail. I particularly liked the layout and having a picture of the screen combined with the text to both show and tell the steps along the way. However, what I hadn't noticed is that it is actually a handbook for using Microsoft Outlook Express 5.0. It does say this on the cover, but "e-mail" is displayed far more prominently and that, plus the subtext of all the topics covered is what caught my attention -- not the seal that says Outlook Express. This was misleading and for my puposes diminishes the usefulness of the book. Based on the cover and title I expected a more general book on using e-mail, not a manual on a specific program. Calling it "Essential Computers : E-mail" gives a different impression of its contents and does not do enough to emphasize its focus on Microsoft Products. Another major drawback is that it appears to be a book for beginners, but then assumes that the user already has an e-mail account set up or knows how to go about doing this. For the absolute novice THIS is one of the essential first steps yet it is not included in the book. Still, strictly as a manual on Outlook Express it is useful, although ironically perhaps more useful for the advanced user than the beginner. If this is a program someone uses and relies on for their e-mail management it is a good book for maximizing the use of the program. But for the casual and beginning users that just want to learn to use e-mail I would look for something else.
<< 1 >>
| 
