Office 2007 For Starters: The Missing Manuals
Book Review

By Dale Farris Reviews Coordinator Golden Triangle PC Club February 2007 Do you yearn for the days when you bought software that included a well designed user manual? We have for so long lived without a manual with new software, that when a rare vendor does supply one, we are thrilled at what we now perceive as "extra value" provided with the program. With Microsoft's major overhaul of Office 2007, users of prior Office versions may be surprised when they first open the new 2007 version. Microsoft has listened to customer complaints about how in the past they mostly just added new features in new versions of Office to existing Menu and Toolbar options. Over the many editions of Office, this resulted in frequent frustration as customers tried to find these features. In some instances, tools and features were found in the oddest drop-down menu, or sub-menu within another sub-menu. In response, this time with the newest 2007 version of Office, users will find a completely re-worked Office. Microsoft has changed the Office 2007 basic format and setup. This newest Office 2007 now features what Microsoft calls the "ribbon," or a special bar of features and tools that open up across the top of the screen and that dynamically change based on what the user is doing. Gone are the old list of Menus across the traditional Menu bar, and the program has been designed to be more intuitive. In addition, Office 2007 also provides a few new tools not found in prior versions. As many readers know, with the prior version of Office, number 10 in the series of the Office packages, customers got used to a ton of features that in many cases were never used. In this latest Office 2007, while Microsoft has tried to add still more new features, as you might expect the major changes to Office 2007 include the re-design of its interface and how the program works, versus a slew of brand new capabilities. This is understandable when you consider how many features were already coded into the last version 10. Most long time users of Office have long since learned how to work with the fundamental tools and features in Office, while ignoring some of its more obscure, or less useful features. In Office 2007, Microsoft has made the operation of Office so different, that many customers just might find out how valuable are some of these less frequently used features, because the overhaul in its design and operation may increase use of these lesser used tools. In this case, since the Office 2007 applications will not come with a handy user guide, which is the norm these days, and because of the major overhaul of the applications, users may find themselves reaching out to third-party guides to Office 2007. To the rescue comes these superb O'Reilly Missing Manual guides to Office 2007, that may be used even more than usual because of the drastic changes in Office 2007. These latest titles in this marvelous series of "Missing Manual" guides will surely get the attention of potential buyers who have taken the plunge into the new Office 2007 and find themselves a bit bewildered by its completely new look and organization. With the new release of Office 2007, O'Reilly has outdone themselves. This time, O'Reilly not only has available superb Missing Manual titles for all the new Office 2007 applications, they also are publishing these new "For Starters" Missing Manual titles that provide a wonderful introduction to the Office 2007 programs. Sometimes less really is more. Phonebook-sized manuals are great for programs you need to master. However, when you need a quick primer on the basics, that is usually overkill. This is why O'Reilly has created the "For Starters" Missing Manual series. Think of these For Starters titles as mini-Missing Manuals, just as engaging as their big siblings, but condensed into a handy package to get your started quickly, easily, and with all the clarity you expect from an O'Reilly Missing Manual. Each For Starters Missing Manual is fast-paced and easy to read, with all the basics you need to start using the Office 2007 applications right away. With clear explanations, step-by-step instructions, and lots of illustrations, these entertaining books will guide you through Microsoft's Office 2007 most useful features and steer clear of the tools most folks never touch. In these wonderful For Starters Missing Manuals, you will learn how to navigate the Office 2007 applications, work with the fundamental features in each program, and quickly get up to speed on all the Office 2007 applications. Unfortunately, Microsoft's documentation is as poor as ever, so even if you find the features you need, you still may not know what to do with them. These For Starters Missing Manuals help you master the redesigned user interface and give you exactly what you need to create unique, attractive and effective documents. The "Missing Manual" series is now a joint venture between Pogue Press and O'Reilly & Associates. With O'Reilly's already established reputation for solid, substantial computer books that are a cut above all the rest, and the wonderful attention to new users that characterize all these "Missing Manual" works, this venture should prove very successful for these publishers. The Office 2007 for Starters: The Missing Manual Titles The current series of Office 2007 For Starters: The Missing Manual titles that explain Office 2007 include the following titles. Word 2007 for Starters: The Missing Manual Price - $19.99 $25.99 CAN Author - Chris Grover About the Book - Fast-paced and easy to read, this concise book teaches you the basics of Word 2007 so you can start using the program right away. Not only will you learn how to work with Word's most useful features to create documents, format and edit text, share the results and more, you'll also discover how to go beyond basic documents to handle graphics, create page layouts, and use forms and tables. The new Word is radically different from previous versions, but with this convenient book, you can breeze through the new user interface and its timesaving features in no time with: Clear explanations Step-by-step instructions Lots of illustrations Larger type Plenty of friendly advice Word is used primarily for word processing, but there's more to this powerful program than meets the eye. It also offers a staggering array of advanced features that were once found only in page layout programs and graphics software. Many of these features are hidden among Word's cluttered menus, and even the pros can't find them all. For Word 2007, Microsoft redesigned the user interface completely, adding a tabbed toolbar that makes every feature easy to locate. Unfortunately, Microsoft's documentation is as poor as ever, so even if you find the features you need, you still may not know what to do with them. Word 2007 for Starters: The Missing Manual helps you master Word's redesigned user interface and gives you exactly what you need to create unique, attractive and effective documents. ISBN - 0-596-52830-2 978-0-596-52830-0   338 pages; trade paperback About the Author - Christopher Grover lives in Fairfax, California with his wife and two daughters. Chris received degrees in Creative Writing and Film from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. He's worked as a technical writer, advertising copywriter and product publicist for more than 25 years. His freelance articles have been published in a variety of magazines from Fine Homebuilding to CD-ROM World. Chris's latest project is launching Bolinas Road Creative, an agency that helps small businesses promote their products and services. Excel 2007 for Starters: The Missing Manual Price - $19.99 $25.99 CAN Author - Matthew MacDonald About the Book - Fast-paced and easy to use, this new book teaches you the basics of Excel 2007 so you can start using the program right away. This concise guide shows readers how to work with Excel's most useful features and its completely redesigned interface. With clear explanations, step-by-step instructions, lots of illustrations, and plenty of timesaving advice, Excel 2007 for Starters: The Missing Manual will quickly teach you to: Build spreadsheets Add and format information Print reports Create charts and graphics Use basic formulas and functions and more The new Excel is radically different from previous versions. Over the years, Excel has grown in power, sophistication and capability, but its once-simple toolbar has been packed with so many features that not even the pros could find them all. For Excel 2007, Microsoft redesigned the user interface completely, adding a tabbed toolbar that makes every feature easy to locate. Unfortunately, Microsoft's documentation is as scant as ever, so even if you find the features you need, you still may not know what to do with them. But with this book, you can breeze through the new user interface and its timesaving features in no time. Excel 2007 for Starters: The Missing Manual is the perfect primer for small businesses with no techie to turn to, as well as those who want to organize household and office information. ISBN - 0-596-52832-9 978-0-596-52832-4 52759-4 978-0-596-52759-4 348 pages; trade paperback About the Author - Matthew MacDonald is a developer, author, and educator in all things Visual Basic and .NET. He's worked with Visual Basic and ASP since their initial versions, and written over a dozen books on the subject, including The Book of VB .NET (No Starch Press) and Visual Basic 2005: A Developer's Notebook (O'Reilly). His website is www.prosetech.com. PowerPoint 2007 for Starters: The Missing Manual Price - $19.99 $25.99 CAN Author - E.A. Vander Veer About the Book - Fast-paced and easy to read, this new book teaches you the basics of PowerPoint 2007 so you can start using the program right away. This concise guide shows readers how to work with PowerPoint's most useful features and its completely redesigned interface. With clear explanations, step-by-step instructions, lots of illustrations, and plenty of timesaving advice, PowerPoint 2007 for Starters: The Missing Manual will quickly teach you to: Create, save, set up, run, and print a basic bullets-and-background slideshow Learn how to add pictures, sound, video, animated effects, and controls (buttons and links) to your slides Discover how to incorporate text, spreadsheets, and animations created in other programs The new PowerPoint is radically different from previous versions. Over the past decade, PowerPoint has grown in complexity, but its once-simple toolbar has been packed with so many features that not even the pros could find them all. For PowerPoint 2007, Microsoft redesigned the user interface completely, adding a tabbed toolbar that makes every feature easy to locate. Unfortunately, Microsoft's documentation is as scant as ever, so even if you find the features you need, you still may not know what to do with them. But with this book, you can breeze through the new user interface and its timesaving features in no time. PowerPoint 2007 for Starters: The Missing Manual is the perfect primer for anyone. 318 pages; trade paperback ISBN - 0-596-52831-0 978-0-596-52831-7 About the Author - E. A. Vander Veer has authored or edited fourteen books to date (including this fine tome). Her work has appeared in dozens of on-and offline publications, including Byte, The Writer, Salon.com, and CNN.com. Currently, she lives in Minnesota with her husband and daughter. Access 2007 for Starters: The Missing Manual Price - $19.99 $25.99 CAN Author - Matthew MacDonald About the Book - This fast-paced book teaches you the basics of Access 2007 so you can start using this popular database program right away. You'll learn how to work with Access' most useful features to design databases, maintain them, search for valuable nuggets of information, and build attractive forms for quick-and-easy data entry. The new Access is radically different from previous versions, but with this book, you'll breeze through the new interface and its timesaving features in no time with: Clear explanations Step-by-step instructions Lots of illustrations Larger type Plenty of friendly advice Ideal for small businesses and households, Access runs on PCs and manages large stores information, including numbers, pages of text, and pictures -- everything from a list of family phone numbers to an enormous product catalog. Unfortunately, each new version of the program crammed in yet another set of features -- so many that even the pros don't know where to find them all. Access 2007 breaks the mold: Microsoft changed the user interface by designing a tabbed toolbar that makes features easy to locate. One thing that hasn't improved is Microsoft's documentation. Even if you find the features you need, you still may not know what to do with them. Access 2007 for Starters: The Missing Manual is the perfect primer for small businesses with no techie to turn to, as well as those who want to organize household and office information. 378 pages; trade paperback ISBN - 0-596-52833-7 978-0-596-52833-1 About the Author - Matthew MacDonald is a developer, author, and educator in all things Visual Basic and .NET. He's worked with Visual Basic and ASP since their initial versions, and written over a dozen books on the subject, including The Book of VB .NET (No Starch Press) and Visual Basic 2005: A Developer's Notebook (O'Reilly). His website is www.prosetech.com. Target Readers These important books are designed to accommodate readers at every technical level, especially those who may be new to Office applications. The focus in these For Starters books is on the most basic, fundamental tools and features in the Office 2007 applications. These "mini-Missing Manual" titles provide a simpler, condensed introduction to using Office 2007, and will best serve the needs of customers who may still be getting acquainted with Microsoft's Office 2007 program. Readers who wish to learn more about all the many tools and features in Office 2007 may want to start with O'Reilly's also super Missing Manual titles on Office 2007. In these more denser titles, the authors cover all the tools and features in the Office 2007 applications, and consequently, these larger Office 2007: The Missing Manual titles are also a bit more expensive. The primary discussions are written for beginner or intermediate PC users. If you are a first-time Office user, you will definitely want to consider these handy For Starters titles. Click here for a review of these larger, more complete Office 2007: The Missing Manual titles. Publisher Contact Marsee Henon marsee@oreilly.com O'Reilly & Associates, Inc. 1005 Gravenstein Highway North Sebastopol, California 95472 707-827-7000 800-998-9938 FAX 707-829-0104 www.oreilly.com