Book Reviews

Due to time and financial constraints, I can't review every Works book by myself. If you have used any of the books on the Works book page, and would like write a review, then by all means do so and let me know. I would love to put more reviews on this page!

This book covers all of the programs included in the Works Suite 99 package - Works 4.5a, Word 97, Encarta 99, Money 99, etc. In this review, I will only cover the parts of the book that pertain to Microsoft Works 4.5a.

The book itself is divided up into hours, wherein you are presented with new concepts and excercises which are expected to take no longer than an hour each. As the title suggests, there are 24 of these hours total, and the idea is that after you have spent an hour on each section you'll be able to use the programs pretty well. Works is covered in the first 9 hours. Word is hours 10-13, IE & OE are 14-16, Money 99 is 17-22, Graphics Studio Greetings is hour 23 and Encarta is hour 24.

This book has several excellent aspects, and just a couple of bad points, too.

One of the good points is that it covers installing the Suite, as well as including a section on how to uninstall individual Works Suite application ( for example, if don't need Word 97, this book tells you how to get rid of it ).

Another strong point is that this book addresses the tasks of not only merging a document with database information, but also doing so for envelopes and mailing labels ( other books I've seen ignore the envelopes and labels ). One thing the book doesn't say anything about is merging a Works DB with a Word document. I don't think this can be done, but the Teach Yourself Works Suite 99... doesn't say so explicitly.

A third positive for this book is that it explains how to share Works SS spreadsheet data with Microsoft's full-blown spreadsheet app Excel. This is an issue that arises for many people, especially those who use Excel at work but have some version of Works at home.

Finally, the book has separate hours for creating a new WP document ( but see the downside to this hour, below ), formatting characters & paragraphs ( fonts, bullets, alignment, spacing, etc ), and formatting pages ( page breaks, borders, headers & footers, columns, etc ). This allows for excellent explanations of all the different formatting options Works makes available.

Now, for the downsides to this book. First, there is no mention whatsoever of Works DB reports. This seems to be a large oversight in my opinion, as reports are one of the coolest features of the Works DB.

Secondly, while the book provides excellent coverage of how to create a new WP document using a Task Wizard, there is nothing about creating a document from scratch. Granted, this isn't that hard a thing to do, but it is an odd thing to not include in the text.

Since it also includes appendices that cover Expedia Streets 98 and Expedia Trip Planner 98, Sam's Teach Yourself Works Suite 99 in 24 Hours does cover the entire Works Suite 99 package. Overall, despite a couple of drawbacks, this book is a good starting point for users who are new to Works, or for those who are looking for a reference to accompany their copy of Works Suite 99.

Get Sam's Teach Yourself Works Suite 99 in 24 Hours now from

Note: I am not affiliated with the author or publisher of these books. The opinions expressed here are purely my own. I am, actually, affiliated with Barnes & Noble, so if my opinions of a book cause you to want to go out and buy it, please consider purchasing it online by clicking on the logo at the bottom of each review.

Works Templates
Works FAQ
Works Web Utils
Books about Works
Works Links
Web Site Help
My Works Home

Microsoft, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Works, their logos and likenesses are copyrighted by and trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation. Any other trademarks/logos/likenesses are property of their respective owners.