Neal Frude’s A Guide to SPSS/PC+ is designed to provide a progressive tutorial in how to use the basic SPSS/PC+ functions. The author notes the power of SPSS and its widespread use among members of the academic and research community. While not being critical of SPSS/PC+ documentation, the author draws attention to the problem with the encylopedic nature of the SPSS manuals and the fact that these materials are really designed to be reference in nature rather than instructional (although brief tutorials are provided with the SPSS manuals).

Frude gives a detailed explanation of how the various SPSS functions work, how data definition files and data files are created, how variables are transformed, and how commands are written. He also discusses various statistical analyses ranging from frequencies to nonparametric statistics, including analysis of variance. A set of useful appendices is provided, which deal with sample data, a code book, and data defini- tion files that the student can use to practice illustrative material provided in the book. The user can apply these and/or use other material in analyzing and utilizing the various commands.

SPSS is a user oriented package. This book is a good guide to facilitating the use of SPSS and provides step-by-step illustrations and problem solving techniques to learn to utilize the package. The reader is required to have ready access to a machine and sufficient time with which to become familiar with what is a large quantity of material.

The author notes, correctly, that SPSS is one of the major programs in use, so skill with SPSS is valuable for the beginning researcher as well as for the experienced researcher.