Product Description

The first edition of The Little iMac Book quickly soared to the top of bestseller lists when it released in the Fall of 1998. Since then, Apple has revved the iMac several times, making it a challenge for consumers to understand the features of each new iMac and what it can do. Robin Williams' newly revised bestseller is updated to cover all the latest releases of Apple's groundbreaking consumer machine including the new desktop video capabilities and DVD-ROM drives, improved graphics capabilities, and the AirPort card for wireless communication. The Little iMac Book, Second Edition is still the book to buy for beginners and will be updated for OS 9 and cover all the iMac basics, from starting up and shutting down to using the mouse to working with the desktop. Robin explains how to use the iMac to get on the Internet and the Web, and how to get around once you are there. With its friendly tone and easy-to-understand explanations, this is an indispensable guide to using the iMac -- whichever one you choose. (Previous edition ISBN: 0-201-35421-7)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1336732 in Books
• Published on: 2000-04-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 312 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Good things often come in small packages. That's certainly the case with The Little iMac Book. Targeted toward Macintosh novices, this guide doesn't overwhelm the reader with every last bit of minutia about working with Apple's popular line of computers. It's as easy to comprehend as the iMac itself is supposed to be.

Robin Williams' goal is to make you merely proficient at performing a variety of tasks, a goal she accomplishes quite nicely. She deftly guides you through such projects as making a simple database, working with spreadsheets, eventually working her way through building basic Web pages and editing digital movies (a smart move, since Apple is hyping all its machines as digital editing studios).

Perhaps the best thing about The Little iMac Book is that Williams' has an uncanny ability to explain concepts in the simplest terms without succumbing to the cutesy language that afflicts similar guides geared toward computer novices. Even when detailing such subjects as USB and Firewire ports, Williams ably conveys information clearly without condescending to her readers.

If you're new to the iMac, you'll be hard pressed to find a clearer guide than The Little iMac Book to help you navigate your new machine. --John Frederick Moore

From the Back Cover

Let award-winning author Robin Williams be your guide to the ins and outs of the iMac. Following in the bestselling footsteps of the previous edition, The Little iMac Book, Second Edition features Robin's friendly, reassuring explanations of all things iMac, this time updated for OS 9.

Robin starts you out with a gentle introduction to the basics: starting up and shutting down your iMac, using the mouse, and working on the Desktop. Once you've mastered these tasks, you're ready to move on to her entertaining and informative tutorials. Learn how to use a word processor, spreadsheets, and databases, send and receive faxes, get around on the Web, even make a Web page, and more.

Platform: MAC

About the Author

Robin Williamshas written more than a dozen bestselling and award-winning books, including the first edition of The Little iMac Book, The Little Mac Book, The Non-Designer's Design Book, as well as co-authoring The Little iBook Book. Through her writing, workshops, and seminars, Robin has influenced an entire generation of computer users in the areas of design, typography, desktop publishing, Mac computing, and the World Wide Web. An inspiring teacher, Robin has empowered thousands of people to move forward with confidence in new technologies.

Customer Reviews

I recommend this book for every iMac purchaser
Robin Williams' books have won a score of industry awards, and reading this book will show you why. Robin writes "for the rest of us." Jargon is broken down so you and I can understand it.

I have been using, teaching and consulting on the Macintosh for more than 15 years. I was the editor of the well-known Mouse Droppings newsletter for seven years. When I recommend a desktop Mac, I recommend Robin's Little Mac book. When I recommend an iMac, I recommend this book. I always tell people they NEED this book.

Robin knows Macintosh computers better than almost anyone I know. In addition she is a superb writer who knows how to make her subject interesting.

Oh yes, and contrary to what another reviewer has said, when you use a Macintosh computer you are NOT typing. You are type setting. And yes, Robin is correct, you NEVER use two spaces at the end of each sentence. Using two spaces is the mark of a rank amateur. So take my advice, not that of someone who does not know about modern typography.

While you are at it, look up all of Robin's book titles and buy every single one which relates to something you do on a computer. You will never regret it!

Of course it is only fair that I reveal that, like any Macintosh user who has ever met Robin, I am in love with her. Read her book and you will fall in love, too. I have been writing professionally for 52 years. I wish I could write just like Robin. She is a hard act to follow.

For Mac people only. Beginners will find it too "jumpy"
I love Macs. This is not the best book for beginners, since it jumps from moving the mouse to icons. Although it is very informative, I found that there is a lot more to the iMac then what she wrote. The computer has so many possibilities and the book is so small, page-wise. Also, the pictures and text are small and hard to read. Get this if you want, but the better, more fun and informative book is definitely The iMac for Dummies by David Pogue.

Why don't you offer the latest edition of this book?
I found this first edition to be good for a beginner. It truly is a hands on basic Imac information help getting started. However, as I have now been using my computer for several weeks now, I find I need a book that will give more information in the same style as the first edition. I wondered if Ms. Williams covered this in the new edition.