Book Review of:
Using Microsoft Office 97 

This is a serious book, no jokes or asides like some of the other books. If you have paid $424.99 for the Standard Full Edition or $499.99 for the Pro Full Edition of the software. . .you're serious! This is the Third Edition, 618 pages, written by Ed Bott, and is priced at $29.99 on the back cover. 

The book is published by QUE, a division of Macmillan Computer Publishing, USA, 201 W. 103rd street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46290. On the back of the book was www.quecorp.com and when I tried it, the response was: Unknown host. 

The author presumes you have some familiarity with your PC computer. (Macintosh users need a separate convertor to open files for versions of Word.) When you've shelled out for the software, I guess it just sits there. You then need this book to explain how to use it. 

I suggest starting at the beginning, Getting Started with Office 97 which includes the introduction, how it works, getting help and customizing office. That takes 92 pages. 

The first section has to do with Word. It is editing and formatting documents, using graphics, labels and envelopes and creating web pages. That ought to hold you transfixed for a few weeks. 

Next is Excel, which has to do with formatting worksheets, managing lists and databases. 

PowerPoint is for creating presentations using graphics. It says you do not have to be an artist to function with PowerPoint and some of the presentations show it. I wish someone would explain the title PowerPoint to me. I can't figure out where the Power comes from, I guess I just don't get the Point. Duh! 

Outlook 97. The book recommends upgrading to Outlook 98 because it works better. Outlook has to do with sending and receiving email and managing and organizing your personal information which sounds like a contradiction. 

For some of you, I guess you could read all these pages like a book. Go through the whole thing whether you need it or not. For my taste, my project would determine what section I would look in. Using the ample index, I'd just read enough to get it done. This book is very thorough and is well laid out and the language is understandable for beginners and so would be a piece of cake for the advanced or business person.