Robin Williams--no, not the comic actor--assumes her readers have no computer experience at all. She provides explanations of all the essentials as well as the perennial stumper for all Mac novices--how to get the floppy disk out of its drive! She also explains why hooking Macs together in a network is easier than you might think and shows how to use Sherlock to extract the information you need from the Internet. Since she focuses on Mac OS 8.6 in general, her approach is suitable for users of all Macs who use that system, including the iMac and iBook. Throughout, her love for the Mac and its community of users is obvious.

A lot of effort has gone into this book's design too--there are few slapped-in screen shots and lots of carefully trimmed and laid-out illustrations. Not enough publishers put this kind of care into their books' production. As a result of the collaboration between Williams and her publisher, The Little Mac Book is a joy to look at, hold, read, and use. --David Wall