Rating: 
Summary: Easy to Read and Understand
Review: After attending a Macromedia presentation on FLASH MX I was eager to get a book to learn more about it. I was familiar with Flash 5, but certainly no expert. I got this book after working with Flash MX for about one week. The first thing I noticed is the book is well written and organized. Each chapter has a project at the end that covers everything you learned in the chapter, or module. However, it looks like a book written for Flash 5 with a few, very few, comments thrown in for MX. There is only one small paragraph about the new Components in MX, a big change from Flash 5. There is nothing even mentioned about Distributing to Layers, another new and great feature of MX.
I like the book and will keep it for a general reference for FLASH. However, I am looking for another book now that is specific to MX. If you are totally new to FLASH, then this is a great book. If you are looking for something with specifics to MX, look some more.
Rating: 
Summary: Great for Flash, not Flash MX
Review: After attending a Macromedia presentation on FLASH MX I was eager to get a book to learn more about it. I was familiar with Flash 5, but certainly no expert. I got this book after working with Flash MX for about one week. The first thing I noticed is the book is well written and organized. Each chapter has a project at the end that covers everything you learned in the chapter, or module. However, it looks like a book written for Flash 5 with a few, very few, comments thrown in for MX. There is only one small paragraph about the new Components in MX, a big change from Flash 5. There is nothing even mentioned about Distributing to Layers, another new and great feature of MX.
I like the book and will keep it for a general reference for FLASH. However, I am looking for another book now that is specific to MX. If you are totally new to FLASH, then this is a great book. If you are looking for something with specifics to MX, look some more.
Rating:
Summary: Easy to Read and Understand
Review: After looking at a friend's Flash-filled website, I knew I had to learn Flash for myself. This was a great book to get started. First, all the examples actually work. Second, I was able to understand why things worked as I followed along. The author is really good at breaking down complexity into simple, clear examples, then re-combining the examples into something complex that is simple to do and understand. Flash MX is such a versatile tool that I was perplexed learning it from scratch without a book that could unravel the complexity. This one does it in quick, simple steps. As a beginner I thought I was starting out slow, learning to use one tool at a time, but suddenly I was working with layers, timelines, tweens and motion guides making smooth animations flow across the screen, and it all made sense. Actually, I felt the sort of let-down you feel when someone explains a magic trick to you: "Aww, you mean it's that easy?!" Halfway into the book I was animating graphics from my digital camera and recording and using sound effects. I usually have a hard time following "cook book" how-to manuals because I want to know why and how things work, not just what sequence of buttons to push. The author breaks down all the technical pieces into short, sweet paragraphs leading into each exercise, so I knew what was happening technically with each step. There is all the information necessary for publishing Flash animations to the Web and experimenting to find that critical compromise between bandwidth and detail. The book goes easily through tools like the bandwidth profiler and preloaders, to tailor smooth animation at modem speeds. There is lots of detail on using ActionScript to make some very professional looking effects. I found this book useful both because it has all the detail to make every exercise work right the first time - there are few manuals I can say that about! - and because it is really easy to read, with just enough information about the nitty-gritty inner workings of web animation to make learning Flash a comfortable experience. I would recommend this book without question for beginners, and to anyone who uses the basics of Flash and wants to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the tools that are available, that they haven't yet used, because each module stands on its own, so you can skip the familiar parts and pick up where you need to start learning.
Rating: 
Summary: Mac Users Beware!
Review: Although this book might be fine for someone who wants to use Flash MX strictly on a PC platform, Mac users will feel totally ignored. Not one single illustration of the Flash MX user features in this book is pictured using either the Mac OS9 or OSX interface. In fact, the only place in the entire 401 pages that Macintosh is even mentioned is in relation to how animations can be projected using a Mac. Bad form! Also, all potential buyers of this book, whether using a PC or a Mac, should be made aware that the exercises and illustrations used in this book to teach the Flash MX features are terribly juvenile. I returned this book the day I received it. I'll wait for a more "grown up" introduction to Flash MX that also incorporates Mac users.
Rating:
Summary: Some good stuff, but weak overall.
Review: I am a java programmer, eager to learn Flash fast. This book was only slightly useful. I found the chatty style just long-winded and condescending. Here's one example (p.56):"You're probably wondering just what the panel is, anyway. In effect, a panel is effectively what is known as a nonmodal dialog box. That is, a panel can be thought of as a dialog box that does not need to be closed." In effect, this author needs effectively what is known as a good editor. The later chapters on actionScript are particularly weak. Too much ink spent defining terms and listing actions out of context. I needed more worked examples. I found the built-in lessons in the Flash Help more useful than this book. On a postive note, my tired old eyes really liked the large easy-to-read font used in this book. Why the heck do so many software texts have small fonts surrounded by acres of white space?
Rating:
Summary: Some good stuff, but weak overall.
Review: I am a java programmer, eager to learn Flash fast. This book was only slightly useful. I found the chatty style just long-winded and condescending. Here's one example (p.56):"You're probably wondering just what the panel is, anyway. In effect, a panel is effectively what is known as a nonmodal dialog box. That is, a panel can be thought of as a dialog box that does not need to be closed." In effect, this author needs effectively what is known as a good editor. The later chapters on actionScript are particularly weak. Too much ink spent defining terms and listing actions out of context. I needed more worked examples. I found the built-in lessons in the Flash Help more useful than this book. On a postive note, my tired old eyes really liked the large easy-to-read font used in this book. Why the heck do so many software texts have small fonts surrounded by acres of white space?
Rating:
Summary: Some good stuff, but weak overall.
Review: I am a java programmer, eager to learn Flash fast. This book was only slightly useful. I found the chatty style just long-winded and condescending. Here's one example (p.56):"You're probably wondering just what the panel is, anyway. In effect, a panel is effectively what is known as a nonmodal dialog box. That is, a panel can be thought of as a dialog box that does not need to be closed." In effect, this author needs effectively what is known as a good editor. The later chapters on actionScript are particularly weak. Too much ink spent defining terms and listing actions out of context. I needed more worked examples. I found the built-in lessons in the Flash Help more useful than this book. On a postive note, my tired old eyes really liked the large easy-to-read font used in this book. Why the heck do so many software texts have small fonts surrounded by acres of white space?
Rating:
Summary: Learn Flash MX with Ease
Review: I am trying to learn Flash because I have heard all of the hype. I have built some pretty basic web pages in the past, but I am interested in creating more exciting content. However, when I got the software, I was basically lost. I just couldn't get a handle on all of the concepts. This book has been a great help. Everything is super clear, and the author organized the book in a very logical manner. I am really pleased with this book. Better yet, you can download all of the working files that the author created for the book.
Rating:
Summary: Hit The Ground Running
Review: I felt like such a latecomer to the "Flash party." Its ubiquitous use on the internet makes it an important technology to understand for web site design, and "A Beginner's Guide" makes it much easier to learn than I'd imagined it would be. The best tutorials give you the right information at the right pace, all neatly organized. This book meets that challenge and brings Flash down to an accessible level. Kudos to an author who got it right.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Beginners flash-book
Review: I had no previous experience with flash, and within 8 hours of purchasing the book I had a professional looking flash design website complete with links, movies, animation, and buttons. Excellent book for the flash beginner.
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