spreadsheets

I am an Excel instructor. This is the book I reccommend if your student (or you) are clueless about what Excel is or how to use a spreadsheet program. Step-by-step and lots of screen shots. If you're not clueless, get a more advanced book.

This book just beats the tar out of the comparable ". . . For Dummies" and ". . . For Complete Idiots" analogs. The exercises step you through all of the basics of Excel and the color images show you what will really be on the screen. Each step is clearly marked and there are no obvious leaps to another level. Various shades of black and white can show a great deal, but there are times when only color will do. This is especially true when color coding is used to differentiate different key aspects of the display, which is done in Excel. This is the book that I recommended be adopted for future classes in Excel and the one I would use if I were to teach the class again.

This is my first experience with this series, and what a positive experience it was! The layout is very easy to follow, the diagrams are accurate and attractive, and the text clear. I barely knew how to use Excel at all when I started, but after under 3 hours with the book, I'm confident that I could do any major project just using the information I learned while reading it. Kudos to whoever designed the order of difficulty and chapter headings, because the progression of ideas naturally follows. The chapters on using complex formulas and creating charts were particularly strong. In fact, even if you don't know how to use your mouse, if you read the book chronologically, you'd learn that too, followed by of course more complex things. I knew Excel was a powerful program. After reading this book, I feel that I can put that knowledge to work in practical ways. If you are a visual learner and have trouble following the "Idiot Guides," this series is a great alternative.