Customer Reviews

Microsoft Office Publisher 2003: Introductory Concepts and Techniques (Shelly Cashman)

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.