Parker wrote this book for the total novice--someone who knows next to nothing about computers, personal or otherwise, but who wants (or needs) to buy a personal computer for his or her use. With a couple of minor exceptions, it fulfills its aim well.

The book is organized appropriately for its audience. The first chapter, “What You Should Know About a Computer,” begins with the topic “What Is a Computer?” and then discusses the components of a PC and the types of peripherals available. The other chapters are

• Defining Your Needs,

• Home Computers,

• Business Computers,

• Standards and Compatibility,

• Where and How to Buy Your Computer,

• All About Software, and

• Getting Started With Your Computer.

The author’s opinions are plainly stated. I agree with some of them (such as his aversion to Tandy/Radio Shack because of its deliberate ignoring of industry standards) but not others (such as his aversion to the Macintosh because it is not IBM PC–compatible.) All opinions are, however, clearly labeled as such, and the reader is free to take the advice or ignore it.

The problems in the book are fairly small. It contains a couple of errors of fact (for instance, the author talks about CGAs having a display resolution of 200×300 dots per inch). It also contains some fuzzy spots--places where the author omitted a detail or two, supposedly to avoid confusing the novice, but wound up with more confusion than he would have had if he, for example, had said that a byte has eight bits. Most novices will not notice, and if they do, it will not matter all that much.

I doubt seriously that anyone reading this review needs the book; you probably already know nearly everything in it. But some people could benefit from its gentle introduction to an often frightening topic, and can learn enough from it to avoid buying a computer that will do nothing but occupy desk space in the den. That is what the book is for, so I guess it succeeds.