Microsoft KB Archive/12135

Microsoft Press: Word Processing Power with Microsoft Word (2) PSS ID Number: Q12135 Article last modified on 11-09-1989 PSS database name: PRESS

“Word Processing Power with Microsoft Word” (2nd edition) by Peter Rinearson

Price: $19.95 432 pages ISBN: 0-914845-89-6 Pub. Date: October 22, 1986

(Revised Edition Covers All Versions of Word Through 3.10)

When originally published in June of 1985, Peter Rinearson’s “Word Processing Power with Microsoft Word” earned widespread critical praise:

“If you use Word, you need this book. If you don’t use Word, this book may persuade you to change.”

Jim Seymour, Syndicated Columnist

“Word Processing Power with Microsoft Word clearly outshines the others (other books on the program), putting Word’s power into the hands of novices and experts alike… The thoroughness of Rinearson’s book is awesome… If you’re new to Word, this book will prove to be a long-term friend. And even if you’re an experienced user, you will find something useful on nearly every page. It is the Word power user’s book of choice – don’t miss it.”

John Dickinson, “PC Magazine”

This October, Microsoft Press will publish a revised edition of this popular book. Completely updated and expanded, “Word Processing Power with Microsoft Word” includes detailed information on all releases of Word, including Version 3.10. Microsoft Press will support the book with an extensive advertising campaign in “PC World,” “InfoWorld,” and “Personal Computing” magazines. Author Peter Rinearson, winner of the 1984 Pulitzer Prize for feature writing, has worked closely with the developers of Microsoft Word to bring readers a variety of perspectives on this best-selling program.

“Word Processing Power with Microsoft Word” is filled with tips, examples, strategies, and short tutorials that provide a wealth of “how to” information. The opening chapters help readers understand what to expect of Word and how to go about tapping the program’s considerable power. A short course called “The Simple Word” teaches Word’s essentials in a matter of minutes. Other early chapters cover such tasks as setting up Word for use with a variety of different computer configurations, and offer tips and insights that help people avoid potential problems.

Aided by illustrations of the Word command menus, the book details each family of commands. People updating from earlier versions of Word will learn to use new commands such as those that alphabetize lists, number documents, find synonyms, and generate indexes and tables of contents. The second half of “Word Processing Power with Microsoft Word” is devoted to some of the more powerful features of Word. Rinearson shows how to use multiple windows in ways that make practical sense, and he explains how to easily take advantage of Word’s new on-line thesaurus. He shows users how to create a variety of style sheets to format documents automatically and how to set up an outline that lets them view and edit an up-to-date model of their document.

Rinearson delves into the subtleties of Word’s indexing feature, suggesting ways to get even more from it than it was designed to deliver. He shows how to do such useful things as combine the indexes of several chapters into one master index and change the printed format of an index. Readers learn how to print side-by-side paragraphs, how to change the number of columns in the middle of a page, and how to wrap text around a photograph or other graphic element.

Many new tips are included, and readers with hard disks learn how to take maximum advantage of them. Comprehensive appendixes provide detailed information on the messages that appear at the bottom of Word’s command menu, and they explain how to use the keyboard to accomplish a wide variety of tasks – from typing to formatting to using the outlining and thesaurus features.

Journalist Peter Rinearson has used word processors extensively since 1976. For his work in the Seattle Times, he has received several national writing awards, including a Pulitzer Prize for “Making It Fly,” an account of the creation of the Boeing 757 jetliner. Other honors include the American Society of Newspaper Editors Distinguished Writing Award, the Lowell Thomas travel-writing award, and the Hancock award for business writing. In mid 1986, he was named one of forty semifinalists in NASA’s Journalist-in-Space project. Peter lives in Seattle, where he is completing a book about the creation of the Boeing 757 jetliner.

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ “MSFT”), based in Redmond, Wash., develops, markets, and supports a wide range of software for business and professional use, including operating systems, languages, and application programs, as well as books and hardware for the microcomputer marketplace.

Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1989.