BKSUWD97.RVW   971130

"Special Edition Using Microsoft Word 97", Bill Camarda, 1997,
0-7897-1398-5, U$34.99/C$49.95/UK#32.99
%A   Bill Camarda
%C   201 W. 103rd Street, Indianapolis, IN   46290
%D   1997
%G   0-7897-1398-5
%I   MacMillan Computer Publishing (MCP)
%O   U$34.99/C$49.95/UK#32.99 800-858-7674 317-581-3743 info@mcp.com
%P   1028 p. + CD-ROM
%T   "Special Edition Using Microsoft Word 97, Bestseller Edition"

This book provides a very thorough set of documentation for learning
and using Microsoft's Word 97 program.  The text does a good job of
combining the need for tutorial explanations as well as speed of
access to important reference points.  At times the ordering of
chapters may seem unusual, but the division of topics is quite
logical, and both the layout format and the content of the text is
clear.

The contents of the book cover pretty much every aspect of Word and
its related functions.  Chapters one to three in part one start you
off with a basic introduction, quick formatting, and some of the
standard word processing functions.  Part two looks at more advanced
functions, with chapters for proofing tools, styles, templates and
wizards, automated tools, and tables.  A general heading for part
three might be production: it covers Web page development with Word,
integration of Word with Office and Frontpage, a chapter on deploying
your Web site (which doesn't really talk about Word at all), producing
hardcopy and faxes as well as sending email, and using mail merge.  (I
am rather disappointed in the section on email, since one of the
biggest problems that I face on a regular basis in electronic
correspondence is dealing with people who create files in Word, and
then have trouble sending them.  The suggestion in the book to use
WordMail avoids the entire issue and is of little or no help.)  Part
four discusses large documents using outlining, master documents,
tables of contents and captions, indices, and various forms of
referencing.  All too many Word books concentrate initially on how
documents look, rather than how they function, so it is nice to see
that desktop publishing, graphics, drawing, and graphs are left until
part five.  Revision management, forms, automation with field codes,
customization of the program, integration with Office, network
installation, and sharing files in part six are all considered to be
corporate tasks.  Part seven has four chapters that cover Word macros
in increasing detail.

As with many such books, this work appears to be intended as
replacement documentation.  The authors consistently sing the praises
of the product, and weaknesses, bugs, or drawbacks are minimized. 
There are highlighted "Caution" notes, but most seem to be fairly
simple, or appear to refer to bugs in the first release of Word that
were subsequently fixed.  While I do not dispute the writer's
sincerity in lauding the product, this volumes value to users will be
reduced when they come up against the inevitable shortcomings. 
AutoCorrect can be highly annoying: you are told how to turn it off,
but you'll have to search for that instruction as it is not presented
as boldly as other functions.  The grammar checker in Word can
recommend changing "we should not issue this credit" to "we should
issue this credit, and while this might make the style of the letter
more positive, it could possibly change the meaning a bit.  The brief
section on Word macro viruses stresses the built-in protection
mechanisms, although it does finally admit to the most vital fact:
"None of the Microsoft virus protection solutions are foolproof."  (A
rather ironic exception to the pro-Microsoft stance is the note that
the colour choices for Internet Explorer render the menu at Netscape's
own site almost unreadable: could this colour choice possibly be
deliberate?)

The comprehensive coverage, clear writing, logical organization, and
solid information in this book make it a recommended choice.

copyright Robert M. Slade, 1997   BKSUWD97.RVW   971130