Rating: 
Summary: Adobe Acrobat 5!
Review: I've used Adobe Acrobat at work, but was not remotely aware of all the capabilities of the software till I opened this "Master Class." I found the book easy to use, inviting to read, and full of helpful examples. The design is beautiful. I like the fact that you can choose your own level, use the "quick guide" or go more in depth, if you choose. I highly recommend this book, both for beginners and more advanced users.
Rating:
Summary: Adobe Acrobat 5 Master Class
Review: If you are a graphic designer and the design of this book does not blow you off your feel, change professions.
This book is an example of the best work being done today in information design. The authors lavish exquisite graphic design on this thoughtful, well-organized book that covers virtually every nuance of the subject. Think of your best book in the Adobe Master Class series and multiply it by ten.
Buy it, own it, and spread the word.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent but comes in 2nd to Acrobat H O T.
Review: It was tough to decide if this is a four-star or a five-star book. Four and a half stars would be my preference.At any rate, if you can afford only one Adobe Acrobat 5 book, you might be better off buying Acrobat 5 Hands On Training (HOT). I recommend, though, saving up enough money to get every book on Acrobat you can, for it is the wave of the future and a must for anybody wanting to put information-interactively on the web - my term is info-tivity - and the best thing this Hypercard pioneered the process at Apple's MacIntosh. There probably is not single more valuable software tool for making money than Acrobat and I will be upgrading to version 6 as soon as I return stateside. That's the good news - the bad is that I will likely have to upgrade my library to keep in tune with the changes in this great software. Back now to the review - if you intend to post any video, animation or audio on the internet you simply are going to have to purchase this book. Further, if you are going to self-publish any sort of periodical on the web, you will definitely want to download HOW NOT TO START A MAGAZINE. by B. Ann Bell. Then, go read HOW TO START A MAGAZINE, STARTING & RUNNING A SUCCESSFUL NEWSLETTER OR MAGAZINE, PUBLISH YOUR OWN MAGAZINE, GUIDEBOOK, OR WEEKLY NEWSPAPER, and PAPERLESS PUBLISHING and do a google search for the soon-to-be LJs BREAKING FREE$. Yes, that list is long but each of these is a valuable source of information for anyone trying to make money by publishing on the internet - Bill Anderson (LJ).
Rating:
Summary: This is the one...
Review: It's too bad that versions of software change so fast because this is a great book! I still find myself referring to it even though I've used Acrobat since the dawn of time. Of all the books you can get, this is the one to spend your money on!
Rating:
Summary: Buy this for your graphics department!
Review: Just a quick recommendation from a frustrated Powerpoint slave. Buy this book as a present for your corporate graphics department (it's fun to read and attractive enough that they'll really think it's a present), then stand back and watch. It shouldn't be long before they see the light and move to using Acrobat too, making your life easier and your evenings your own!
Rating:
Summary: PDF: A dessert topping AND a floor wax.
Review: Like so many aspects of graphic design in the computer age, Acrobat PDF is employed by two disparate groups of users: artists who want to see their work preserved and distributed, and production people (or 'just plain users') who want to simplify their workflow.
Hastings and Akselsen understand Adobe's Acrobat PDF in a way that bridges the two worlds and makes the most of both.
As designers long frustrated by the lack of typographic and interactive control in HTML (even with CSS and DHTML), they demonstrate how one can use the Acrobat standard as the control center of a multimedia fiesta--creating easily transportable documents brimming with interactivity, sound, color, and, of course, nit-pickingly-precise typographic display.
They know design. They know the underlying technology. They know how to tell a story. You won't look at a PDF as "just a PDF" again.
Rating:
Summary: Truly sitting at the feet of the Masters
Review: This book is exceptional on many levels. From the very first moment you pick it up and open it, you know you are dealing with the best of graphic design. The pages are laid out with great taste. All the elements work together on the page. You can read the body copy with no pictures jumping up in the way of your thoughts. Then you can look at the bottom of the pages to follow the step by step instruction. Mr. Akselsen and Ms. Hastings deserve an award for their ground-breaking design. Reading the book copy is like inviting three friends over for dinner to discuss everything from interactive design to using Acrobat's tool. Each chapter starts with background material that is so much deeper than just Acrobat. It's the kind of discussion that makes you think hard about the purpose of your project. Anyone can tell you how to create a link. These authors talk about why and when you should or should not. Finally, there are beautiful pages that feature the work of accomplished designers who are using Acrobat in ways I would have never expected. Acrobat files that look like Flash pages. Acrobat files that are like interactive Director documents. Acrobat files that are games, puzzles, interactive maps. It made my head spin. Oh, and did I mention the incredible CD that comes with the book???? You don't just look at the examples and lessons in the book. You can open the actual documents and follow along, take them apart, and see how they were put together. This is better than any Classroom in a Book. And way beyond what anyone else has written about Acrobat. This book isn't just the best of the bunch for learning Acrobat, it's the book that all other computer books should be aspiring to be like.
Rating: 
Summary: thin and pretty
Review: This is a gorgeous volume, but there's not much here in terms of real content. Although labeled a "master class" the book is best suited to the beginner. For example, in the chapter on PDF presentations, it spends an inordinate amount of time walking through the basics of page transitions, and then inexplicably completely skips the details of how to simulate animations with transitions (a primary focus of the chapter). This is especially frustrating because the authors are obviously all highly skilled, as evidenced by the samples on the accompanying CD. Unfortunately, they seem less interested in sharing their expertise than in simply knocking out a quick run through the basics of the Acrobat interface.
Rating:
Summary: Masterful master class instruction
Review: This is probably one of the best designed, beautiful-to-look-at, and useful technical books I have seen. The layout is thoughtful and clear, and the instruction well-paced and thorough. Who would have thought that Acrobat could be the Swiss army knife of software. The authors are able to show that Acrobat, a program that is usually thought of as a rather staid and boring work-horse of an application, can do so much. I for one will never think of it that way again. This book will become an important course and resource book for my university design students.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: When you see this book you'll first marvel at how great it looks, the design is superb. But design doesn't make a book, in this case it simply enhances the expert teaching provided by the authors. The authors have managed to impart the power of Acrobat 5 to the reader. I'm relatively new to using Acrobat and had no idea it was full featured as it is. This book walks you through real world layouts, scenarios and examples that keep you in awe. It's very easy to understand and it's very through. Adobe should give these authors thanks since I'm sure this book will help promote sales of Adobe Acrobat 5! If you haven't delved into Acrobat yet, grab this book and be prepared to be amazed and impressed.
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