Customer Reviews

Word 2007 For Dummies

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I'm a big fan of the Dummies series; the information is usually complete and explained well. The Word 2007 volume, however, is nothing but fluff. The writer explains the features of Word 2007 by using words like "thing" and "stuff". The banter is usually tolerable (or easy to skip over) in the Dummies series, but this book has so much of it that it's no surprise there is no room for explaining new features such as the new interface, particularly the ribbon. The writer says the ribbon can't be modified. That's not true. Reading this book is like eating cotton candy.

This book is just plain awful!

I will give you examples. I've been trying to do a simple header with a page number. He tells you how to do a header, but he does not tell you that it's a mistake to use the header button if you want to also have a page number on your header. For that, you just use the page number button and within that you can add your header information. I ran in circles trying to figure this out.

He tells you the easy way to add a cover sheet, EXCEPT if you make your cover sheet and then do your page numbers, it does not create a separate section for the cover sheet, so you will have a page number for it---GRRRR. Which means you have to start over.

There are no nice screen shots to tell you how to do something. At best you get the picture of the button you need to use and a paragraph (OR TEN!) on how to find that button. I HATE THIS BOOK!

I bought it for one reason, it will tell you how to insert a file into a document and the other (better written ones with the nice screen shots) did not have that in the index. It's easy to insert a file into a document, BTW, but I made a diagram on the right (beside all his paragraphs). The diagram is four blocks with a word in each block. That's it, Dan, that's all you needed. He has the irritating habit of telling you all the things you can do with something, like highlighting. Yes, there may be more than one way to turn it off, more than one color, etc., etc., etc.,---but I just want to get the ^&%$ to work and move on. Put that in a little box somewhere for people who care!

So, not only is the book misleading (see above with headers), it's confusing without the screen shots, and when he does give you a summary that actually works, it's so wordy you want to scream.

I have to agree that all the cutesies in this book are distracting and annoying. Those are great in some books, but this is more of a reference book (or it should be) and you want to go to the index, find the page for what you want to do (the index is good), then jump to the section with the information, and THEN have screen shots that take you from one level to the next. FORGET ALL the cutesies, Dan, and forget all the words unless each one is absolutely necessary. DO NOT TALK---SHOW!

I've had it with this book and I'm looking for something else. Good luck to you if you buy it!

The book is exactly what it is! If you have word, get this. O.K., don't use your real name when buying it. Don't let the "Dummies" intiminate you. It is very helpful, having neat little tips that you would't normally find. I have found that an instruction manual should be written for the person with the lowest level of experience as possible. This is the one.

I have had to use Word for dummies at least a dozen times and there does not seem to be question that the book can not answer.
The index in the rear of the book is very easy to use.
I have four dummies books that I use.
I am very happy with allof them.

I read this book cover to cover with the heavy use of a highlighter. I can only conclude the author is seriously unfamiliar with the featured product. Microsoft puffs the idea of the new "ribbon" approach to Word which the author all but ignors apart from a brief mention. The idea of adding PDF and XPS features gets less than cursory mention. Use the new Microsoft Upgrade to publish Blogs and Webpages directly? The author discourages this practice and recommends using a seperate software program. Therefore; if the author all but ignores the new features of this program, is it not fair to conclude he simply did a cut and paste from one of his previous "Dummy Books"? There is absolutely nothing in this book you couldn't know from having used "Microsoft Word 97". Don't waste your money or highlighter efforts on this worthless tomb.

I have read many of the Dummies books and they have helped me enormously. This time I am disappointed. Since Word 2007 has a completely different screen, I hoped you would show different screens for each of the new drop-down lists so we could find it easier. This is more like another book on Word, without relating to the vast changes in the 2007 edition, which is what I needed most for work.

This has been a tremendous help in wending my way through all the many new features in Word 2007 which had me baffled. Well worth the price. Too bad it doesn't come WITH Word 2007 because "Help" sure isn't.

Purchased this as a reference for someone who was a novice with Word but I find myself using also. Very easy to read and understand for beginers.

I purchased Word 2007 as part of a total software package and purchased the book to help me get up to speed quickly on the many changes in Word since I was currently using Word 2000. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone.

This is such a great book. You really can be a dummy and you will still learn everything you need to know about WORD. Ditto for Dan Gookin's book on PCs for Dummies. Mr. Gookin's books are extremely well organized and excellently written, but the thing I love most about them is the humor. They really are funny and that is a big boon to the reader, especially one who dreads dry instruction. I read this book cover to cover and it has saved me hours of pain at the computer.