Rating: 
Summary: Terrific Resource
Review: Any writer contemplating POD publishing needs this book. Simple, direct and logical. Takes the mystery out of computer typesetting.
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Summary: Why didn't I get this book earlier?
Review: As a newswriter, I regret not getting this book when I first saw it here. Writing press releases is an exacting task when it comes to punctuation, spacing and page setup. Had I followed the tips in this book, I would not have the chore of reformatting my templates next week. Simple things like one space after a period at the end of a sentence is only one of the valuable tips in the book. The explanations of why we should do things differently on a PC are clear. The reasons why things are done differently on a typewriter are just as useful. This little book also covers how to make your type easy to read with plenty of examples to prove its points. Buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Essential Reading
Review: Even though this book is 8 years old, it remains essential reading. It's extremely accessible, and can be read cover-to-cover, or used as a reference. There's a quiz in the back of the book to help you to actually retain the material. I've bought several copies, and I loan them out when I think the recipient will be receptive. (Some people are hopeless when it comes to good design.) This book is worth owning by itself, or as a primer to Robin Williams' other books.
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Summary: Make all of your work look like the best typesetting jobs.
Review: Every day we read books and magazines that following standard typesetting rules (such as putting only period after a sentence), yet almost all of us who now use computers (a tremendous typesetting tool) continue to type as if we are still using a typewriter. The result looks unprofessional, which we accept because we have never thought that we could produce text that looks like a typesetters. This small book explains better than any other why we did certain things on typewriters that were never done by profressional printers--and why we need to stop doing them now that we are using computers. Since it was published in 1992 I have been giving copies of this small, readable, beautifully arranged book to anyone who types for me or organizations I work with. Just the first few pages can tremendously improve the profressional appearance of a letter, and what it does for newsletters is phenomenal. Everyone I've ever told to put only one space after a period, or how to properly use dashes, has insisted I must be wrong. They become believers after I refer them to any magazine or book, and they become converted to proper typing after I give them this book. Rarely will you get more bang for your buck than with this little gem. Make sure you buy at least two, because you'll immediately think of someone to give a copy to.
Rating:
Summary: Required Reading for Any Person Who Types!
Review: I found this book when it was first published as "The MAC is..." and it has been my Bible ever since. I have given it out to everyone who has ever worked for me or with me. I am a trainer and in any class that has anything to do with typing it is standard reference material. I cannot believe we still have 'teachers' teaching people how to type that do not adhere to professional typesetting standards. This book opened my eyes to the beauty you can create in the type written page. 'Corporate' people positively comment on documents that I have delivered as "elegant" or "easy to read" or "so professional" because I adhere to the principles set forth in Ms. Williams book. I think this easy to read, well designed, and information packed book should be required reading for any person that touches a keyboard!
Rating:
Summary: Required Reading for Any Person Who Types!
Review: I found this book when it was first published as "The MAC is..." and it has been my Bible ever since. I have given it out to everyone who has ever worked for me or with me. I am a trainer and in any class that has anything to do with typing it is standard reference material. I cannot believe we still have 'teachers' teaching people how to type that do not adhere to professional typesetting standards. This book opened my eyes to the beauty you can create in the type written page. 'Corporate' people positively comment on documents that I have delivered as "elegant" or "easy to read" or "so professional" because I adhere to the principles set forth in Ms. Williams book. I think this easy to read, well designed, and information packed book should be required reading for any person that touches a keyboard!
Rating:
Summary: A useful reference
Review: I have provided this book to my friends and co-workers as a successful way of improving the quality of documentation. "Simple to read and immediately useful."
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Summary: You're not supposed to put two spaces after a period?!
Review: I took great care to include two spaces after a period and before starting the next sentence. Williams explains why this in incorrect and why so many of us do it religiously, along with a host of other typographic rules. It's relatively short, the writing is concise and interesting and if you type on a computer you'll use what you learn from this book every day.
Rating: 
Summary: Not worth the 79 cents/minute reading cost.
Review: The book is of marginal utility if you have never heard about correct use of spaces, or if the terms em and en dash are foreign to you. If, however, you work at a more advanced level than that of a raw beginner, save yourself some money and buy a proper manual of typography. "The PC..." is, for my money, a manual on the creation of a few special characters and effects in the software of the early 1990s. If you still use Wordperfect 5.0, by all means, buy the book. Otherwise, skip it.
Rating:
Summary: I hand out copies all the time
Review: This and its companion "The Mac is not a Typewriter" are so important to everyone who writes a letter, types an e-mail, designs a sign, or creates a presentation. In short easy to understand lessons disguised as chapters, the reader learns everything that was lost when computers replaced typesetters. Though most Macintosh users are professional designers, they won't need this book, but for the millions of PC users out there, this is irreplaceable. I keep four or five copies of this book in my desk. Anyone I find that is breaking these rules and willing to learn how to make their published documents better, I hand them this book to read first. Don't try to learn it all at once. Read a couple chapters and master those skills, then read the next couple chapters. This book sits next to my dictionary and MLA Style Guide on my desk for ready reference.
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