Visual Quickstart Guide for Premiere 5.1 for Mac and Windows is a handbook-style volume--slightly smaller than most software books and designed for easy access to the information found within.

This book works. It is built in a two-column format: one for text, one for pictures and illustrations. The entire book reads like a handy, step-by-step tutorial. The screenshots, generously integrated into the text, permeate each chapter. The text covers only useful topics and avoids esoteric discussions. Even the closing chapter, "Video and Audio Settings", which discusses some non-Premiere related topics like video interlacing, NTSC and PAL frame rates, and compression settings, sticks to a concise voice yet still conveys plenty of information.

A computer software book without a CD is becoming more and more uncommon but the lower cost of this handbook may be the gain rather than the loss. The lack of colour pictures, a glossy cover and an oversized page also help to keep the cost down. In a world where some software books cost upwards of US$50 or $60, it is refreshing to see an affordable and useful book like this one.

But don't let the low cost fool you--this is an ideal book for someone who already owns Premiere but finds the tutorials or the manual too daunting. The straightforward and easy-going nature of this handbook can get you quickly up to speed. --Mike Caputo, amazon.com