Am I the only person out there who enjoys reading computer manuals? Pogue's are the best: clear, simple, humorous… ( )

This is the kitchen sink of books, but our plumber has that smell good freshness about him that you really don't equate with plumbing. So that metaphor was a stretch it not for a series that prides itself on being "The Missing Manual."

We want this series to cover everything that we don't get when we open our software, in this case the software and hardware that is so closely associated with it. There is so much detail that it is overwhelming and reading it in one sitting is not likely. That and the more than 800 pages of dense material and examples would make that difficult for many.

It can be used as a textbook reference, and in the style of the wry humor throughout, it could also be used as a doorstop. That wry humor is one of the things that make this book standout. Without it, the book would be dry, not wry. 800 plus pages of college level text would probably drive you away from your bigger purchase, the computer, and this book is designed to help you to appreciate your Macintosh.

It does that well and is worthwhile or every Mac owner. The one minor inadequacy is that along the way tricks are mentioned that aid you in your use of the operating system, but the indexing system is not as comprehensive as it could be, so days later when you go to find a shortcut or feature of the Mac OS, it is not quite so easy to find. ( )

Love the Missing Manual series. While you may never read the entire book, chances are it will answer most every question you ever need answered. ( )

Buy It!!: If you are new to Macs, especially new to OS X 10.5 (Leopard), you should buy this book.

893 pages of facts, hints, overviews and clear explanations of everything - from simple 'how to' right through to the more complex (if there is a complex side to OS X) side of Leopard. Prior to buying this book I bought two other Leopard books...I should have waited and just bought the Missing Manual - so should you!