AppleWorks 6: the Missing Manual

Too many writers of books about software let the software determine how they organize the material. If the File menu contains commands A, B, and C, the writers put A, B, and C in the same chapter, regardless of whether they're functionally similar. AppleWorks 6: The Missing Manual is organized more logically, tackling the functional units--including Internet integration, macro programming, and table creation, among others--in separate chapters. It's an approach that makes sense for AppleWorks, in which the spreadsheet module can be used to create tables for word processor documents and all the modules rely on a common graphics editor. For those who want to know what a particular menu command does, there's menu-by-menu documentation in an appendix.

You get the requisite instructions: explicit steps to follow if you want to transpose rows in a spreadsheet, for example, or export button graphics for use in Web pages. Other procedures, like making calculations that refer to cells in multiple spreadsheets, are explained in text. "Workaround Workshop" modules call attention to shortcomings in AppleWorks (such as its two-palette limit when you're working with colors) and explain how to get around them (use a custom palette). Throughout, the instructions are engaging and fun to read. --David Wall

Topics covered: AppleWorks 6, the multipurpose office-productivity suite for Mac OS; the suite's capabilities, comprehensively--including word processing, spreadsheets, graphics, databases, and presentations; how to create documents and databases from scratch, as well as from existing materials.