4 Internet Starter Books

COMPUTER BOOK REVIEW  

390 words

Title:Internet Starter Kit for Macintosh, 2nd Edition; 
Adam C. Engst; Hayden Books; ISBN: 1-56830-111-1; 
paperback; 1024 pages, US$29.95, CAN$39.99

Title: Internet Starter Kit for Windows;  Adam C. Engst, 
Corwin S. Low, and Michael A. Simon; Hayden Books; 
ISBN 1-56830-094-8; paperback; 649 pages; 
US$29.95, CAN$39.99; 

Title: Internet Explorer Kit for Macintosh; Adam C. Engst 
& William Dickson; Hayden Books; ISBN 1-56830-089-1; 
paperback; 462 pages; US$29.95, CAN$39.99; 

Title: New Riders' Official Internet Yellow Pages; 
Christine Maxwell and Czeslaw Jan Grycz; New Riders 
Publishing; ISBN 1-56205-306-X; paperback; 889 pages; 
US$29.95, CAN$39.95; 

Reviewer: A. T. Connellan. " For the Internet novice, 
here is a group of the best."

A Michelin Guide For The Internet.

Internet, the hottest word on the computer scene 
these days. Few understand it, many are intimidated 
by it, but with little reason. There is plenty of written 
work available to explain the wonders of the Internet, 
or information superhighway as it is often referred to. 
Here is a group of the best. 

Billed as "Everything you need to get on the Internet," 
the Internet Starter Kits for Mac and for Windows by 
Adam Engst and his team, truly set out the essential 
elements of Internet use for the uninitiated. They are 
written in refreshingly easy-to-understand language, 
accompanied by well-reproduced screens and 
illustrations.

The authors assume nothing in terms of the reader's 
preparation for embarking out onto the Internet. The 
two books mirror each other laying out their three 
sections dedicated to educating the user of either 
Mac or Windows. The fourth part of each book consists 
of more than 200 pages of resources in appendixes 
that firmly support the earlier text. 

The Internet Yellow Pages is far more than the name 
implies. It is as stated, "a Michelin Guide for the Internet...
" While there are two authors credited, this was a 
massive undertaking by the members of a large support 
group who thankfully receive full credit for their 
contribution in the acknowledgements. 

How thoroughly they did their work is evidenced by the 
completeness of the categories, set out alphabetically, 
with listings ranked as "Standard, Major, or Turbo" 
depending on the depth and type of information offered. 
Icons  helpfully identify various features such as all the 
free resources available to those who roam the Internet. 

The Appendixes include an Index, Listing of Audience 
Fields, Listing of Keywords, and a remarkable Glossary 
of Terms, Acronyms and the Language of the Internet. 
In short, the find-it guide everyone needs. 
                                       
My commercial internet server, recommend these three 
books to all new customers. They say that it saves them 
a lot of "coaching time," and I agree.
              
The Internet Explorer takes a distinctively different approach. 
The reader is invited to overhear a dialogue between two 
friends discussing their use of the Internet. Occasionally 
the conversation expands to include other participants. 
At times the dialogue lapses into puerile chit-chat, but 
surprisingly, the approach works, and if you can wade 
through it there is an amazing amount of information 
provided.