A practical guide to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, this book describes many useful tools and provides some details on configuring Macs. It is mainly a guide for new Mac users, though experienced users can use it to learn about unfamiliar tools and settings.

Chapters 1 through 3 cover the basics, such as updating software, keeping track of versions, using file management tools, and searching in local files. The next three chapters address the Web: chapter 4 covers Safari and its add-ons; chapter 5 discusses alternative browsers; and chapter 6 looks at Web 2.0 integration, including Facebook, Twitter, and online file storage.

Chapters 7 and 8 explain security issues and solutions. In chapter 7, the authors show how passwords for online services can be stored, explain disk encryption, and cover some basics of network security. Chapter 8, on data backup and recovery, discusses local backup tools, such as Apple’s Time Machine, and looks at some third-party utilities. The latter half of the chapter provides an overview of online services such as Dropbox.

The next three chapters explain how to work efficiently with different data, including images (chapter 9), audio and video (chapter 10), and text files and archives (chapter 11). The last chapter is for administrators, covering topics such as automation.

This book is a useful resource that both new and experienced users will find interesting. For those who are just getting started using Mac OS X, it’s worth buying. Experienced users, however, will not want to spend the money for just a few new tips.