Microsoft Word 2004 for Mac OS X (Visual QuickStart Guide) (Paperback)

by Maria Langer (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Sure, you were happy when the first Mac OS X-compatible version of Word arrived (after all, it's the one software program you can't live without). But this is the version you've really been waiting for. In contrast to Word for Mac OS X-which gelled nicely with the new OS but didn't offer much compelling additional functionality-Word 2004 offers a slew of usability improvements. To start taking advantage of them immediately, you need this task-based guide from popular Mac teacher Maria Langer! Using simple step-by-step instructions, loads of visual aids, and plenty of well-placed tips, Maria gets you up and running fast on the basics before moving on to cover more advanced techniques (formatting, inserting objects, creating outlines, and more). If you're a veteran user, you can go directly to the new material (for example, learning how to record audio notes and link them to your Word docs). And if you're a beginner, you'll appreciate the thorough coverage of all the most common Word tasks.

About the Author

Maria Langer has written dozens of computer books, including best-selling Visual QuickStart Guides for Mac OS X, Mac OS 9, Word 2001 for Macintosh, and Excel 2001 for Macintosh. Her current best-seller is Mac OS X Panther: Visual QuickStart Guide.

Product Details

• Paperback: 440 pages
• Publisher: Peachpit Press (December 20, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321304578
• ISBN-13: 978-0321304575
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #441,600 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For the beginner a great start, October 22, 2005

By	Fred A. Wertheimer (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Like all of the Visual Quickstart Guides, this book is peppered with hundreds of screen shots and tips. This easily accessible, step-by-step guide will take you from absolute beginner to being able to use Word very well. The book does not cover the advanced techniques available in Word, but does show you how to use the vast majority of functions and menu options. At the end of the book, you will be able to create just about any document you could think of, even if it is not always done in the most elegant way available in Word - that is to say not using the elegance of the advanced functionality of Word. But in all fairness, this book does not present itself as an advanced tutorial, but as a beginner/intermediate book and in this it does deliver every thing it promises.

The step-by-step instructions are easy to follow and are nicely supplemented by the related screenshots. My one complaint is that there are several occasions in this book where, either because of space constraints, or because the topics broach the territory of advance techniques, or because she wishes you to learn by experimentation, the author will discuss a topic only to tell the reader to experiement with the different option buttons. While this is my one complaint, I did not find this too onerous, since this is how I learned Word in the first place. But for the newbie or faint hearted (when it comes to pressing unknown buttons on a computer) it can be a little daunting. Despite this minor issue the book is a great way to learn to use Word on the Mac and for the newbie or fainthearted, do experiment on practice documents before trying a technique on an important document.

While I have used Word for many years and know many advanced techniques of the application, I am happy to say that I did learn several tidbits that I did not know before. I highly recommend this book.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars OK for beginners, but, December 28, 2006

By	John P. Steele (Denver, Colorado) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was looking for a reference for Word 2004 that I could use to solve problems while I use Word. I am an experienced user and was hoping for something that would give me tips and insights into issues like how to work with anchors so that figures get positioned where I want them, and then stay there. Ms Langer's book is an introduction to using Word and is pretty much the same information you'll get from the online help. I've found it to be of little use for the issues I'm trying to address.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Hard to read, September 26, 2007

By	Donald A. Hamilton - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I find the print quality very poor, especially for the example figures. Some of the print is so small and blurred
that I can't even read it with a magnifying glass. Otherwise the overall general text is pretty good.