Beginner's Bookshelf
A Library of Choices
Publishers apparently have never met an Internet book they didn't like.
Here, we provide a brief synopsis of some of the most popular books out
there.
Curious About the Internet
Ned Snell (SAMS, $14.95)
Some people dive right into the deep end of the pool, others test the water
with their toes. If you're the cautious type, Ned Snell's Curious About
the Internet is a good primer. Clearly written, it covers most of the basics
for the beginner and lives up to its subtitle, A Plain-English Guide for
Ordinary People. For those whose appetites he whets, Snell offers plenty
of good leads to follow. Bear in mind, though, that this is for the non-Internet-initiated.
If you're up and running, you'll need a more detailed guide.
How the Internet Works
Joshua Eddings (Ziff-Davis, $24.95)
How to Use the Internet
Mark Butler (Ziff-Davis, $17.95)
These two complementary titles are in the Ziff-Davis line of graphical introductions
to computing topics. The first, by Joshua Eddings, admirably elucidates
the complex technology underpinning the vast worldwide electronic communications
system. Eddings explains everything from why e-mail lands at the right address
to how talk radio works over a computer.
The second book covers much the same ground, but from the individual user's
perspective. Either of these volumes will get you up to speed quickly and
give you an at-a-glance understanding of the major Internet topics and techniques.
The Internet for Dummies
John R. Levine and Carol Baroudi (IDG Books, $19.95)
This best-selling starter series (available for both PC and Mac users) indeed
answers the kinds of questions you might feel like a dummy for asking. Broken
into easily digested sections, the books contain tips, tech stuff, and navigation
pointers to lead you by the hand into the Internet maze. Beware of picking
up the earliest editions -- change has been so rapid in the last 20 months
that key subjects of today, like Web browsers, weren't even around for inclusion
when the series was launched.
The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Internet
Peter Kent (Alpha Books, $19.95)
While it covers much the same ground as the Dummies books, this series seems
slightly better organized. It also contains such extras as a tear-out cheat
sheet of commonly used commands and a useful, bound-in disk full of Internet
information. There are dozens of sidebars that teach you to speak like a
geek and act like a techno nerd, and each section has a handy "the
least you need to know" summary. A bonus: It includes a few necessary
words about virus protection, which were lacking in the Dummies' guide.
Point and Click Internet
Seth Godin (Peachpit Press, $12.95)
Available in both PC and Mac editions, this is little more than a 100-page
manual accompanying a disk with an America Online sign-up offer of 10 free
hours. Yes, you can get online in less than an hour, as the cover promises,
but that's really due to AOL's software package. The book itself won't make
you an Internet whiz within 60 minutes. In fact, you hardly need to read
this manual, since AOL's point-and-click interface is so simple to explore.
The Little Online Book
Alfred Glossbrenner
Illustrations by John Grimes
(Peachpit Press, $17.95)
This modestly titled handbook is a very civilized introduction to the delights
of the online wonderland. Alfred Glossbrenner, a long-time evangelist of
and expert on PC communications, takes the reader by the hand from square
one, and I mean, right from the beginning -- the Internet doesn't even get
mentioned until Chapter 24.
He anticipates and patiently addresses all the questions a beginner might
be embarrassed to ask, while enticing the reader with discussions of the
digital riches awaiting cyberspace explorers.
No one starting out on the road of computer communi-cations can go wrong
with Glossbrenner as a guide. The illustrations and cartoons by John Grimes
are a real bonus, helping to keep a light tone throughout.
Highly recommended.
-- David Wade
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