Excel X for Mac OS X: Visual QuickStart Guide [Paperback]

Maria Langer (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0201758423 | ISBN-13: 978-0201758429 | Publication Date: March 3, 2002 | Edition: 1

Excel X for Mac OS X is the model OS X app, from its Aqua interface to its complete support for OS X's modern architecture. In Excel X for Mac OS X: Visual QuickStart Guide, author Maria Langer, veteran Mac writer and consultant, walks you through all that's new and noteworthy in Microsoft's spreadsheet powerhouse, dispensing lots of expert tips along the way.

Maria knows you're a busy professional. That's why Excel X for Mac OS X: VQS was designed to let you learn as you work. Use it as a quick-reference guide: Just look up a topic in the index--or use the page tabs to thumb to it--then follow the simple, concise steps and check your results against the accompanying screenshots. Newcomers can treat the book as a step-by-step introduction to Excel, starting with the basics, then moving on to more advanced techniques, such as inserting objects and multimedia events, creating charts and graphs, and publishing spreadsheets to the Web.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Excel X for Mac OS X is the model OS X app, from its Aqua interface to its complete support for OS X's modern architecture. In Excel X for Mac OS X: Visual QuickStart Guide, author Maria Langer, veteran Mac writer and consultant, walks you through all that's new and noteworthy in Microsoft's spreadsheet powerhouse, dispensing lots of expert tips along the way.

Maria knows you're a busy professional. That's why Excel X for Mac OS X: VQS was designed to let you learn as you work. Use it as a quick-reference guide: Just look up a topic in the index--or use the page tabs to thumb to it--then follow the simple, concise steps and check your results against the accompanying screenshots. Newcomers can treat the book as a step-by-step introduction to Excel, starting with the basics, then moving on to more advanced techniques, such as inserting objects and multimedia events, creating charts and graphs, and publishing spreadsheets to the Web.

About the Author

Maria Langer has written more than 20 computer books. She also writes for MacWEEK, MacAddict, NetProfessional, FileMaker Pro Advisor, and Computer User. She is a consultant, Webmaster, computer trainer, and regular speaker at Macworld Expo.

Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: Peachpit Press; 1 edition (March 3, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201758423
• ISBN-13: 978-0201758429
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #467,845 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Maria Langer has been a freelance writer since 1990. She has written more than 75 books and hundreds of articles about using computers, software, and online services. She provides support for her work, as well as new content, on the Maria's Guides website. These days, she also writes about aviation and travel for a variety of print and online publications.

Maria is also a commercial helicopter pilot and owner of Flying M Air, a helicopter tour and charter company based in Arizona. Her company offers tours, day trips, multi-day excursions, and aerial photography services throughout the southwest.

And if that's not enough to keep her busy and out of trouble, she's also a serious amateur photographer. She shows off her best work on her photo gallery, Flying M Photos.

Maria blogs at Eclectic Mind, her personal journal of thoughts and experiences.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great 4 Beginners - Power Users Will Be Disappointed, March 22, 2003

By 

Rodney Dixon "Hog Rider" (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Excel X for Mac OS X: Visual QuickStart Guide (Paperback)

I've bought several of the Visual Quickstart Guides for other Mac applications so when I decided I wanted to become a real Excel power user, I thought this would be a good book to start with. For those just getting into Excel, this would be the place to start. (In fairness, this is probably their target audience in the first place.) I even found it useful for gaining a better understanding some functions I hadn't attempted in the past.

My only complaint is that it just doesn't go deep enough. I wanted some help with formulas in general and more advanced formulas in particular (e.g. HLOOKUP, VLOOKUP, etc. and nested formulas) and the book didn't provide any more information on formulas than the application's help file, which isn't much.

To be helpful, it would be nice to see a nice long list of example formulas with descriptions on how or when you would use them.

OK, maybe I'm being a bit harsh, but hey, I bought the book and was a little disappointed.

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mac users do well to get Windows Excel books, October 13, 2003

By 

Jim Ratliff (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Excel X for Mac OS X: Visual QuickStart Guide (Paperback)

I'm a long-time (since 1984) Mac user and devotee, so I'm not being heretical when I say that the best books about Excel are written for a Windows audience. The Mac versions of Excel are sufficiently compatible with the Windows versions that almost everything you learn from a Windows book will apply on the Mac. There are so many more Windows users (and especially power users) of Excel that many more books have been written for them. If you want to become a power user, try "Microsoft Excel 2000 Formulas" by John Walkenbach.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for beginners, August 5, 2005

By 

PhotoOPS "M.M" (Iraq) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Excel X for Mac OS X: Visual QuickStart Guide (Paperback)

This is the second book I've purchased written by Maria Langer. The first was Mac OS X Panther (Visual QuickStart Guide). Like the book for panther. Excel X is great for those new to the program, or for those who have little experience in formating the spreadsheets, conjuring up formulas, and establish and managing lists.

For more experienced/advanced users, you'll appreciate the book as quick reference and the nice tips you'll find to increase your efficiency. But if you're looking for more advanced techniques (i.e. scripts, macros, advanced formatting) you might want to look elsewhere.