Word 2000 for Windows for Dummies

If you are an experienced Word user, Word 2000's new features, which are few for the average user, will not require relearning the software. Gookin has made learning the basics of Word 2000 easy and fun for those who do not know the product well or are new to Word. As with all Dummies books, the irreverent style wears well and the humor makes learning enjoyable.

Word 2000 first teaches you the basics of creating a document. Subsequent learning areas include formatting, creating tables, inserting figures, making a table of contents, and even mail merging using Word. While the coverage of the essentials is very good, the tips scattered throughout the book are often priceless. For instance, Gookin tells you how to alter the Office Assistant's icon or hide it completely. He also includes such useful tips as how to use an ALT-key combination to copy character formats. If you want to learn Word 2000 and have some fun doing it, Word 2000 for Windows for Dummies is the right book for you. --Rob Franklin

Product Description
Microsoft Word 2000 is a massive program. It does a lot. But the truth is that you don't need to know everything about Word to use it. A better question is: Do you want to know everything about Microsoft Word? Probably not. You don't want to know all the command options, all the typographical mumbo-jumbo, or even all those special features that you know are in there but terrify you. No, all you want to know is the single answer to a tiny question. Then you can happily close the book and be on your way. If that's you, you've found your book.

Good news: This book is not meant to be read from cover to cover. Microsoft Word 2000 For Dummies is full of self-contained sections, each of which describes how to perform a specific task or get something done. Sample sections you encounter in this book include

• Saving your stuff
• Cutting and pasting a block
• Quickly finding your place
• Aligning paragraphs
• A quick way to cobble a table together
• A caption for your figure
• Step-by-step mail merging guide

There are no keys to memorize, no secret codes, no tricks, no pop-up dioramas, and no wall charts. Instead, each section explains a topic as if it's the first thing you read in this book. Nothing is assumed, and everything is cross-referenced. Technical terms and topics, when they come up, are neatly shoved to the side where you can easily avoid reading them. The idea here isn't for you to learn anything. This book's philosophy is to help you look it up, figure it out, and get back to work.

This book informs and entertains. And it has a serious attitude problem. After all, the goal of the book is not to teach you to love Microsoft Word. Instead, be prepared to encounter some informative, down-to-earth explanations–in English–of how to get the job done by using Microsoft Word. You take your work seriously, but you definitely don't need to take Microsoft Word seriously.

"I have no idea what a text wrapping break is."

Now that's helpful! At least I now know who the real "Dummie" is!


Still struggling   May 9, 2002
 10 out of 12 found this review helpful

I found this a little easier to understand and use than "The Complete Idiot's Guide." I don't know what that makes me. It is pitched at a more elementary level and the jokes and cartoons are better. It is more frank about the limitations of Word 2000 Neither book deals with the problems of crashes and glitches, and when (and how) you have to telephone the [$$$]-please have-your-credit-card-number-ready line for help. I'm still struggling (having come from Wordperfect for DOS).
On one occasion no commands were working, and I eventually found I was typing within a footnote. Right now I can't delete or rename any document. Neither book helps with that.


"Average" sums it up best   May 21, 2001
 28 out of 30 found this review helpful

This is right on target: bought this not expecting much (I'm not a big fan of the dummy books). My wife wanted to start 'learning the computer' which translated into Word processing. This book really did serve as a good introduction to Word.

Also recommended: For my own use, it wasn't much help. I'm a long time Word power-user. I'd say the best advanced book is 'Learn Word 2000 VBA Document Automation' (driza) and the best average user book is 'Using Word 2000' (camarada). Good luck!


A lot of good stuff, but...   November 15, 2000
 30 out of 30 found this review helpful

I have a number of the Dummies books, and they are all pretty useful, as is this one. But I would recommend "Just the tips, man for Microsoft Word 2000" if you really want something that gets to the point. That book has just the stuff you need to learn and get better on the software. It's not like your typical manual.