5 comments about Web Design in Easy Steps (In Easy Steps).

1. I'm no web design expert and although little was new to from this book I've still found it invaluable and am constantly referring to it. It's easy to use and attractive. Mostly it will help make sure you don't forget anything and for beginners it will set you on the right path.
   
   I think that this book does much more for inspiring beginners to do something more than an ugly squared web page too.



2. I just read this book and was impressed. I've been in the business for about 11 years and this book, while more for beginners will help me with how to explain some basic web things to my clients. It covers a lot of the basics and it is more comprehensive than other books that focus on either the tech side of things, the marketing side of thing, or the graphic/aesthetic sides of things. In this book, you'll get the basics of design, usability, info architecture, marketing, SEO, and more in an easy to read and scan book. Plus, there are a lot of handy resources included.
   
   If you;re thinking about getting into web design or if you are starting to work with a web designer or a design firm, this would be a great book to help fill in blanks in the technospeak.



3. This is the best introductory computer book that I have read. Whenever I need to learn a new computer system, language or technology, I like to begin with a less complex book that isn't too overwhelming. This is the practice that I have followed over the past 25 years. Over that period of time I have read several introductory and advanced computer texts. In just under a couple hundred pages, the book is concise but not a word is wasted. The book is full of valuable information, suggestions and references to additional information outside of the text.
   
   The author doesn't just focus on the basic principles of creating a web page or site. He touches upon topics concerning the planning, design, marketing and composition of a web site that I found most rewarding and valuable in reading the book.



4. This book was not what I was expecting when I bought it, it was more than I expected. It was easy to read and understand and very informative. I suggest this book for anyone who is at the beginning stages of designing your website.



5. I read the positive reviews on this book and decided to buy it, since it was only $10 and I needed some help with web design. I was severely disappointed, and so were the other two people I loaned it to. First, this book is almost insultingly simple. If you really know absolutely nothing (and I mean NADA!) about what a web site is and how it works, it will be a good starting point for you. If you have even passing knowledge of the web and how it works, you will waste your time. Second, the book contains no actual specific, hands-on information or tutorials. It is an idea book. It offers lots of common sense, often repetitive, general principles of web design, but this is mostly common sense, and all of it could be picked up from online web tutorials for free. The book also features a strange dichotomy: it assumes the reader knows zero about even the most basic web functions, yet it also assumes for the most part that the reader is art of a corporate team building a business website. The book would do far better to assume one or the other, but if it assumes the latter, then the book is madly mismatched to its audience. Finally, while this book only cost me $10 (for information I already knew or could find out for nothing), it is sprinkled with little advertorials for half a dozen other "In Easy Steps" books: HTML, Dreamweaver, Java, XML, etc. In other words, this book will NOT get you to a functioning web site. To do that, plan on dropping another $50 or so on other titles from this company. Why not just buy a solid, honest how-to book in the first place? What the book does get you is endless, repetitive admonishments to "not be different just for its own sake" (basically--follow the normal rules unless you have a good reason not to) and lots of general and incomplete discussions of design concepts. This books is far too general and far too incomplete for anyone but a complete web illiterate.

2 comments about Oracle Database 11g PL/SQL Programming (Oracle Press).

1. Michael McLaughlin has delivered the most comprehensive book on PL/SQL on the market. No matter where you are, novice or master, you will find this book helpful. The book is loaded with practical, working examples and detailed descriptions that will help you from getting lost. Even the most complex topics are covered thoroughly and comprehensively in a way that makes them feel simple. Even if you are not on 11g yet, you need to buy this book. It's not only a great reference, but an interesting and captivating read that will give you ideas and understanding which will help in any project.
   
   Most of all, this book reveals the power of PL/SQL as a viable and fully-featured programming language. It covers complex subjects such as Object Oriented Programming and utilizing Large Objects (LOBS) with striking detail. It also contains a primer on using PHP and Java with PL/SQL! You'll also find a revealing discussion on using Functions, Procedures, and Packages that enhance understanding in a way that no other book does. Other books teach you the "how", this book covers the "what" and the "why" so that you not only can write the code, but you understand everything that it is doing.
   
   I would highly recommend this book to anyone that uses PL/SQL no matter your current skill level. There's great content for everyone.



2. This is one of the best technical books I have read. It makes PL/SQL easy to learn for the beginners and it is so detailed that very experienced users will find it extremely useful. It covers the usage of PL/SQL with many different types of applications such as JAVA, XML, PHP, etc. I have recommended very few language books in my time, because, I have found them to be written with the writer's logic as to how the writer thinks the code would be better executed. However this is the first book that I have seen that is written logically based on how the language would be better used to efficiently interact with the database. In short, I give this book my highest recommendation. I would like to congratulate Michael on writing such a great book.

5 comments about Head Rush Ajax (Head First).

1. The book spends about 20 pages introducing you to their genius learning methodologies that keep you interested and involved. That would be great if I was reading this book to kill time and had to be kept interested with pictures and games. In reality, I want to learn the material as quickly and directly as possible. If you are like this, skimming the book is about all you can do. I skimmed it in about 20 minutes (I have previous Ajax knowledge) and it was an OK Intro refresher. If you are serious about learning this and have an attention span greater than a 6 year old, you do NOT want to get this book. It's like playing Where's Waldo for relevant information among the spam of dialog boxes and arrows zig-zagging across the screen.
   
   With that said, if you are learning Ajax grudgingly and don't care how much time you spend, this book will be great.



2. This book does exactly what it claims to do: teach you what Ajax is, and the basics of using it. After finishing this book, I feel like I have an extremely solid base with which to read and understand a more advanced book. This book didn't teach me any best practices, common Ajax patterns, cool tricks, or anything else fancy; it just gave me a firm, solid understanding of how to use Ajax, and that's exactly what I needed.



3. Some people prefer dense reference-like texts while others get droopy eyelids after just a few pages. Face it--this is complex material we are trying to learn. The O'Reilly Head First series has really figured out how to present concepts that can be difficult to understand, especially for people who are new to the field, in a way that makes it easy to learn.
   
   If you are new to Ajax or if you have some experience with it but want to fill in the gaps, this is a great book.



4. A conceptually solid intro to AJAX plagued by errors in the code samples -- see http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/headra/errata/headra.unconfirmed. Even some of the sample ajax apps running on the headfirstlabs site don't work! For instance, visit http://www.headfirstlabs.com/books/hrajax/chapter02/breakneck/pizza.html, type in a phone#, and watch as the php incorrectly dumps out all the addresses in the mock database. Did the author even bother to test out the sample apps?



5. The book is humourous and a pleasant read, and a fun way to learn Ajax in your easy chair by the fireplace.
   
   But *don't* try using it on the job.
   
   I tried building a real-world application with this as my guide - as I went through each chapter, I'd use the methods conveyed by the examples to build my own project. This went well until I got to the section on POST requests. As before, I adapted the example to my own project - and it didn't work. The problem is that the code on page 299 is flat-out wrong, and they don't tell you this until page 308 - after a several-page diversion into another subject. Then, on page 308, they finally reveal that on page 299 they had skipped an essential (but non-obvious) step.
   
   Meanwhile, I had wasted about half an hour wondering why the back-end application wasn't receiving any of the form contents, putting in javascript in the front-end to display what it was sending before it sent it, putting logging in the back end to dump the inputs to files for analysis.
   
   My copy now has "WRONG" written in one-inch letters across page 299.
   
   (I was reminded of an episode of M*A*S*H. An unexploded bomb was in the camp, and Hawkeye was trying to defuse it while Radar read him the instructions - slowly, one step at a time - from a safe distance. The instructions were something like "Cut the red wire. But if there are also two black wires, you must not cut the red wire.")
   
   Authors, I can appreciate your writing style and your general method of teaching - but please be aware that some programmers like to test our applications incrementally, and leaving a booby trap in the code just wastes our time.

4 comments about Processing: Creative Coding and Computational Art (Foundation).

1. This is a very good book on the Processing language, which is an object-oriented languaged based on Java that is used for computer art. It allows computer artists to produce attractive computer-generated art without having to become experts on the Java language, Java3D, Java2D, and all of the other associated Java multimedia APIs. The Processing language's home page has considerable tutorial information, but it is not organized in a tutorial format as this book is. The book starts out in the first few chapters talking about "code art" including a brief mention of various "code artists". It then goes on to talk about the origin and basics of the Processing language. Chapter 5 is the most helpful of the chapters in part one, since it discusses the actual environment of working with the Processing language including the various programming modes and rendering modes.
   
   Part two is very practical and useful, as it illustrates how to actually draw shapes, work with various color and imaging styles, and even includes chapters on building interactive art, programming motion, and working in 3D. There is also a short chapter on object-oriented programming in the middle of this section, but it is rather brief and if you are unfamiliar with the topic you are going to need outside sources. The format of the chapters in part two is to discuss what you are trying to accomplish, show and discuss the Processing code for performing the task, and show an illustration of what your final piece of computer art should look like.
   
   Part three is a reference on the Processing language itself that also includes an appendix consisting of various mathematics equations you will need when working with geometric figures. If you already know Java, as I do, this book makes learning the Processing language a breeze. If you don't already know Java or at least programming in an object-oriented language, this book might be more difficult. Note that there is an extra appendix and an extra chapter available online that is not in the printed book itself. These chapters are "3D Rendering in Java Mode" and "Integrating Processing within Java".



2. Processing es una herramienta de código creativo, todavía no lo he terminado de leer, pero hasta donde he leído, promete ser la guía básico para los novatos como yo.



3. I teach Flash Actionscript at an Art College in Pasadena, and I am sometimes asked by my students for a good book to introduce them to programming fundamentals. Until I encountered this book, I was at a loss to find a good one, because so many programming books assume the reader already knows the fundamentals, and don't take the creative personality into account.
   
   This is the book I was looking for. It's not about actionscript, but that doesn't matter, as Processing is an even better choice as a first programming language for creative people. Once you learn the fundamentals of programming, learning things like Flash actionscript becomes much easier.
   
   The thing I like about this book is that it concentrates on making computer art, it has good tutorials on basic computer programming, computer graphics concepts, and it understands that its core audience is likely to be math phobic (due to the horrible math experiences so many of us have had in schools).
   
   If there's a flaw, it's that the author is a little to anxious to share some extremely advanced scripts a little too early in the book. First time readers should skip over this stuff, because much simpler stuff is on the way. The book will reward skipping around and rereading. I also recommend getting another book on the same subject, such as the Reas and Fry processing book, and perhaps one of John Maeda's books.



4. I received this book a few days ago and i have not finish yet, but everything i have read is very clear, easy to follow and with a lot of examples that works.
   
   Is my first book about Processing, Im a actionscripter and here i found many interesting concepts, formulas, procedures that can help, not only in processing, just in a lot of languages that we could make artistic things.
   
   If this book is an alternative for novices? i guess it is. Maybe in the firts reading people who have not any knowledge about programming it could be hard to follow, but i guess in the second or third lecture will became in a very good programmer. For people who have a knowledge it will be a very interesting travel to be a better programmer.

3 comments about Adobe ColdFusion 8 Web Application Construction Kit, Volume 2: Application Development.

1. This book is well written. I've been working with CF more and more over the last 4 or 5 years and I've been buying this family of books since version 6. As with earlier versions, this family of books for CF 8 has definitely helped me get started with new features and I regularly consult them for ideas as I need to integrate new features into various ongoing projects and existing applications.
   
   This book does a good job of introducing concepts related to the new display management tags (cflayout, cflayoutarea, cfpod, etc.) and the new image handling tags. It stays within the scope of what the majority of advanced level CF developers need to know when leaping from CFMX7 to CF8.
   
   I do wish that the book approached AJAX development by threading the examples together in a "build this small application" style format rather than the way they're laid out now which is "here is a random example of how to use cfmenu, cfajaxproxy, etc.". It is only fair to mention that the Getting Started edition for CF8 does employ that format when teaching AJAX Auto-Suggest and basic Grid Design using the familar Orange Whip Studios web application. I have not yet bought my copy of Volume 3 so maybe it will go a bit more in depth on some of the database related AJAX topics - we'll see. All in all, this is another great book!



2. I have almost every book that Ben Forta has written on ColdFusion and have been a big fan of his teaching and writing style but this book is a big disappointment to me.
   
   Firstly, I did not purchase volume 1 since I already have a basic working knowledge CF thanks to his previous books and at the current prices didn't think I needed a reprise. Vol 2 appeared to cover the new CF8 features but it appparently is not a stand-alone version since there were no instructions as to where to obtain and install the sample code and tutorials used in the book. I finally found the link on the back cover, visited the Forta/book site and accessed the forum. I found the supporting files to Vol 2, downloaded and installed them, then discovered that I apparently needed databases and files included in previous books. Not only that, but to "reduce the price" of the book, half the chapters are online.
   
   Chapt 29 spent a great deal of Page space (which seems to be at a premium) expounding on the need to create a good user experience (navigation techniques, fast downloads, etc) - this book was supposed to be on CF8, not best practices in website design. I would have preferred he used the valuable page space for CF8 features and techniques.
   
   I still haven't located what appear to be missing files in a missing directory called "imageserver", (which displays a "page not found" message when trying to view the example code files in Chapter 33) even after spending some frustrating time surfing the online forum.
   
   I expected a book devoted to the new and upgraded CF8 features and not revisiting previous code examples (like Next N) unless the new features impact the former way of doing things, which are covered in a previous Forta books like: Macromedia ColdFusion MX 7 Web Application Construction Kit and Advanced Macromedia ColdFusion MX Application Development (3rd Edition).
   
   I paid almost $50 for one volume of a 3 volume book which is mostly a rewrite of the previous content and half of that is only available on line. I would rather have paid a bit more for new valuable content on the changes in CF8.
   
   When I purchase a book, I expect a book that I can read sitting in a chair - not sitting at a computer reading a pdf file or printing it out on a ream of paper!
   
   Forta's other books are great but this book is not worth the price.



3. I love Ray Camden's work, and this book is no exception. He has a straightforward writing style with lots of examples to back it up. CF8 has a lot of new features, and if you work with CF8, this is the reference set to start with. If you have prior works, you'll continue to love it, though you'll rapidly get sick of the old 'Orange Whip Studios' sample.
   
   Now the bad part. For some reason the publisher split this into 3 separate books. If I pile them all up they are about the same size as the last single CF book I bought by Ray, except that you now pay over twice as much. Myself, I'd rather have the single big book.
   
   Second grief; about 1/3 of the content is on CD... except it isn't on CD's... You have to download the PDFs from Ray's site. Personally, I hate electronic copy for reference books, I like to flip between pages and dog ear topics of interest. The publisher did the same thing in the prior versions of this book, though at least they had the dignity to include the CD with the book.
   
   Editors PLEASE: offer a set of completely printed volumes and a set of electronic volumes. Let the users choose. If Ray went with a different publisher that did this I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
   
   So, content aside - which is excellent - this entire line reeks of a bunch of new VPs brainstorming how to improve quarterly margins. You can almost visualize the Dilbert like conversation...
   
   VP1: 'OK, first we'll only publish 2/3s of the content, we'll put the last chapters on CD, that'll save us a bunch!.
   VP2: 'heh, why attach the CD, we could save $0.03 on each sale if we DIDN'T attach it! Let 'em download it!
   VP3: 'In fact, we'll make 'ol Ray put it on his site so we don't even have to pay for hosting space - that way we can shaft the customers AND the author (laugh around the table). They'll be paying us for something we don't even provide!
   VP1: 'GREAT!, and, wait - yeah - we could cut it into 2 books and charge twice as much!'
   VP2: 'Come on man, be bold - THREE volumes and charge THREE times as much!'
   VP3: 'Oh man, no wonder they fired thoses bozo VPs before us - we'll double earnings in one quarter alone! I can't wait for the bonuses!'
   
   Anyway, great job to Ray. Publishers - WAKE UP!

No comments about Pro Drupal Development, Second Edition (Beginning from Novice to Professional).

3 comments about C++ GUI Programming with Qt 4 (2nd Edition) (Prentice Hall Open Source Software Development Series).

1. Qt continues to evolve. This book gives a comprehensive description of the latest major release, 4. Why does Qt even exist? Basically because now any object oriented language that seeks broad usage needs an extensive widget library for the making of graphical programs. Java and C# are the prime examples. But of course C++ predates these by many years, and the intrinsic definitions of the C++ standards have no widgets. So Qt is offered as the [mostly] graphical extension of C++. Akin to how the Standard Template Library has data structures that extend the purely computational aspects.
   
   In some ways, the book is pretty simple if you've coded in any other graphical language. The concepts are the same. An attraction of Qt is how quickly you can write code to put up windows with several widgets, and attaching callbacks to button widgets for functionality.
   
   Qt also has important classes dealing with other issues. Like reading and writing to the filesystem or SQL database. And multithreading. Or parsing XML. These sections of the book can be harder to assimilate. With the graphical classes, writing test code and debugging can be easy, since the graphics gives you a tight visual feedback loop. But for [say] debugging TCP client server applications, low level bugs can be very obscure to hunt down.



2. The fact that this is the ONLY official best-practice guide to QT 4 programming makes it a 'must have' for any college-level or specialty computer library serious about catering to C++ programmers. QT4 enables developers to build stronger C++ applications that run on systems from Linux to Windows without source code changes, and this revised, expanded documentary includes the latest, proven solutions for all kind of GUI development asks. This update includes new coverage of databases, XML and other programming concerns. A 'must' reference for serious, advanced programmers and computer libraries.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



3. It is obvious that the authors do know their topic (Qt4 programming).
   It is much less obvious that they master the technique to write a good programming book!
   
   This book has lost of un-necessary verbiage but lack a clear sense of structure. The differences between the platforms (for me Windows/Linux) are poorly documented... so trial and error has been the mode to get simple things done.
   
   Another comment would be the poor formatting of the examples (position of curly brackets etc...) making the example a lot less readable that their should be.
   
   Conclusions:
   1) I have not yet picked up another book, but this one was not my best purchase! I will probably at the usually good O'Reilly Books.
   
   2) Usually Prentice Hall is a great editor, but this book may have been "rushed out" before it was ready. Suggest some prudence there, or possibly sell this book as a "Alpha Release" book?

5 comments about Murach's SQL Server 2005 for Developers.

1. This is the 5th book of Murach's that I have purchased, once again it is as good as the other's. Provides concise information in an easy to read format.



2. I am using "Murach's SQL Server 2005 for Developers" for a community college entry-level SQL class. It is a great book with nice prose and good examples.
   
   One drawback is that instead of identifying, say, Figure 8.3 above-or-below the image, the identification is listed at the bottom of the page with the image. That takes awhile to get used to and makes it harder than it needs to be to make sure I am looking at the correct code snippet.



3. I read Murach's SQL Server 2005 for Developers while looking for a book for teaching a class on SQL. Since the course is going to use SQL Server it seemed like an obvious fit. It is. This is a targeted book for the professional course on writing SQL for SQL Server 2005.
   
   I suppose it could be used for learning SQL for other databases but it does a pretty good job of hitting all the SQL Server specific variations in SQL that make up T-SQL. I also suppose that it could be used for self directed study. Like the rest of the Murach books, it has a side by side format with explanation and related examples. Since there's plenty of room for Lab work, it really fits the classroom well.
   
   Overall I'm happy with the book and don't have any real criticism. It is what it tries to be. A book for teaching SQL for SQL Server 2005.



4. If you're new to SQL Server, the format of this book could not be better or reading it cover to cover. It's designed (as Murach's other books) in a style to indroduce a small concept per page and give you an excercise to try it yourself. I recommend this book to all beginners to the technology but not necessarily if you have a lot of experience in the field already.



5. The only thing I can find wrong with it is that it didn't come with sql server cd. Other than that it's just fine.

5 comments about PHP for the World Wide Web, Second Edition (Visual QuickStart Guide).

1. I was looking for a decent introduction to PHP, and stumbled across this on Amazon. I can only speak as someone with a programming background, but this was exactly what I was looking for. Mr. Ullman takes you through PHP from the ground up, but the layout of the book and the thoroughness of the index makes it a pretty good reference if you just want to know some particular piece of the puzzle.
   Want to create an online form using PHP? This book walks you through a project that does just that.
   Want to figure out how arrays work in PHP? You can jump to that section, and migrate your own programming knowledge over to the PHP environment.
   PHP (and, for that matter, HTML) programming is a little counterintuitive , particularly if you have previous experience in other languages. This book makes the move a lot easier!
   Again, my review is from the standpoint of someone with experience in programming. However, the approach that the book takes - walking you step-by-step through practical examples - probably would work really well for those who are new to programming, too.
   I bought it along with the companion book on PHP and MySQL (PHP and MySQL for Dynamic Web Sites: Visual QuickPro Guide (2nd Edition) (Visual QuickPro Guide)), which turned out to be a great idea - both are getting dog-eared as I build a website using dynamic content.
   A great book, well worth purchasing!



2. The "Visual Quickstart" technique - placing instruction and code in side by side columns is the best learning device I have ever used. The instruction is clear and detailed, and the layout makes it easy to skim-over what you already know and focus on what you need to learn. I used the Quickstart book for learning HTML4 and now for PHP. I would recommend this series to anyone regardless of level.



3. The book are full of static examples and not enough dynamic. You do nothing about interacting with databases except about 10% of the book at the end.



4. I picked up this book at the library and it was so informative I had to go out and pick up a copy for my bookshelf for keeps. If you want to learn PHP go with this one.



5. This is a very well written technical reference. The examples are so good that I was able to get my 1st PHP web page up quickly even though I hadn't been through the entire book. Larry Ullman's book has passed my personal test -- I got something useful done. I'm now in the process of reading the entire book and using the sample code to more properly learn PHP. I have a number of QuickStart books and they are all excellent. They are on my sites recommended reading list. [...]

5 comments about Engineering Design with SolidWorks 2008 & MultiMedia CD.

1. I teach a single semester class of SolidWorks and a two semester class of SolidWorks. The SolidWorks Tutorial book is excellent for the single semester class, but the Engineering Design book is the best one that I have seen for the two semester class. Both books are very well written for education and are easy to read and follow. Both books have integrated homework examples which are directly aligned to the chapters and the SolidWorks CSWA Certification program.
   
   Engineering Design covers all of the main features: Extruded Boss/Base, Extruded Cut, Revolved Boss/Base. Loft Boss/Base, Swept Boss/Base, Linear & Circular Patterns, hole, and more. The chapters are divided into logical project streams to apply the appropriate features, commands, and design intent. Both bottom up and top down assembly methods are applied with configurations. The Drawing section is well documented with exploded views, crop, projected, cut, section, detail, etc. The Sheetmetal chapter is a plus. The book is easy to follow with its bold command structure and step by step illustrations. Base features and Base Sketch planes are well documented and explained. Want to learn SolidWorks? Go no further.



2. I'm new to SolidWorks. I used AutoCAD many years ago, and was downsized last year. I now work as a mechanical designer for a medium size auto part manufacturer.
   
   One of the job requirements was to learn SolidWorks. SolidWorks is an amazing product... I purchased two books from these authors. Both are great. Their writing style is very straightforward. They do not assume that you have previous knowledge in 2D or 3D CAD. They give many illustrations in the book, and supply a multimedia CD. This is a BIG advantage when learning a new software package.
   
   Solid engineering fundamentals are provided when creating a part, assembly or drawing. The back of each chapter is packed with examples which are aligned with the CSWA certification. I'm the only one in the department that is not certified. My goal is to past the CSWA certification exam someday!



3. There are many SolidWorks books that are being offered in today's environment. It is difficult to know which book is right for you. As an Inventor user who moved to SolidWorks, I am looking for a detail book that provides information in a structural format to educate me in a new software package. I am also in search of a book that will keep my attention, move at a reasonable pace, and cover major feature, sketch, drawing, assembly and analysis topics and tools. This is a very good book for the person that is looking for the above like me. The multimedia CD is a plus, but just reviews what is in the book. Additional details and tips would be nice.



4. This book has good, easy to follow instructions that step you through a process that starts out from beginner and ends up with a good understanding of the power and utility of SolidWorks 2008. The only negative is the lack of color, the text looks a little plain and could use some spicing up. However, as far as the utility goes, this is an excellent manual.



5. I've been combining my retraining in 3D modeling and learning SolidWorks specifics with the help of two SolidWorks books; Engineering Design with SolidWorks and A Commands Guide for SolidWorks. Both books deploy a step-by-step very well illustrated instruction approach.
   
   I'm rather new to 3D. I found the two books to be extremely useful and easy to follow. In a previous life, I was an AutoCad VAR, although that is going back quite a few years. Part of my learning process has been unlearning some of my AutoCad approaches. This takes time, but is well worth it. SolidWorks is a great software package.
   
   Engineering Design with SolidWorks walks you through SW in no time by combining parts that you create with sub-assemblies and assemblies. The numerous illustrations with the easy step-by-step procedure makes this book ideal for the self taught person or the classroom environment. Example: In the assembly section, there are screen shots of each selection; edge, face, etc. and then a screen shot of the model with the Mate PropertyManager to inforce and guide you through the process. This is very helpful for any new user. This type of illustration is provided throughout the book.
   
   At the end of each chapter, additional parts and sub-assemblies are available to build your confidence. The book spends a great deal of time addressing geometric sketch relationships, and the ability to edit a sketch or feature in a model. This is time well spent.
   
   The drawing chapter takes you through setting up a sheet format, detailing drawings with multi sheets, multi views, setting part numbers in a BOM, revision tables, and inserting design tables with configurations. All great things.
   
   The included CD has all the lessons animated. Great work here. If you get bored reading the book, pop in the CD, sit back and enjoy some Solidworks modeling.