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Rating: 
Summary: THE BEST ILLUSTRATOR BOOK
Review: Deke McClelland is simply the most articulate writer alive on computer procedures. He's clear, witty, and exceptionally knowledgeable. Throw away your manual and use this book instead. And he's accessible. E-mail him if you don't understand something (sorry, Deke).
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Summary: Like having a personal instructor
Review: I didn't know squat about Adobe Illustrator. I sat at my computer staring at the white screen perplexed and confused. So, I bought this book and I was enlightened. The author is coherent, extremely detailed, has a great sense of humor and most importantly it teaches you how to do the things you want to do. The book is well organized and works great as a quick reference or for detailed and comprehensive reading on different techniques.
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Summary: Excellent teaching book
Review: I didn't know squat about Adobe Illustrator. I sat at my computer staring at the white screen perplexed and confused. So, I bought this book and I was enlightened. The author is coherent, extremely detailed, has a great sense of humor and most importantly it teaches you how to do the things you want to do. The book is well organized and works great as a quick reference or for detailed and comprehensive reading on different techniques.
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Summary: Quirky, but an easy and thorough read
Review: I had been using a small corner of Illustrator in my work for about a year, and this book expanded my horizons significantly. I found this one of the better technical manuals I've read. The information is complete, the treatment thorough, and the information easy to access. I read it cover to cover, and after 2 months it still sits on my desk as a quick reference.The author has a somewhat strange sense of humor, which I enjoyed. I suppose some people might not want off-beat references made to unrelated items, but I didn't mind, and it made the read easier.
Rating:
Summary: Quirky, but an easy and thorough read
Review: I had been using a small corner of Illustrator in my work for about a year, and this book expanded my horizons significantly. I found this one of the better technical manuals I've read. The information is complete, the treatment thorough, and the information easy to access. I read it cover to cover, and after 2 months it still sits on my desk as a quick reference. The author has a somewhat strange sense of humor, which I enjoyed. I suppose some people might not want off-beat references made to unrelated items, but I didn't mind, and it made the read easier.
Rating:
Summary: Like having a personal instructor
Review: I have been struggling trying to understand Illustrator and the whole vector thing. Finally, this book explained it in a way I could understand. Most books just tell you which tool does what. This book tells you which tool does what, and why, and how to tell if you're doing it right, and even more importantly, how to avoid problems. For instance, I never knew you could drag in between anchor points. But chapter 5 explained the difference between dragging a point or a segment. Not only that, but I really enjoyed the writing style. Not at all stuffy, but very folksy and fun to read. I need to use Illustrator to make fancy headlines for my company's newsletter and web site. Finally I can do it without struggling.
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Summary: Probably the best introduction to Illustrator available!
Review: If you want to be among the select group of multimedia professionals who truly have mastered the unique applications of Adobe Illustrator, then you won't want to miss this opportunity to buy Real World Illustrator 8. This powerful text has a wealth of descriptive chapters which bridge the gap between novice methods and advanced techniques used by Illustrator Masters. What's more, the book features Web image modifications that place this book far above the competition but at a competitive price. You cannot find this kind of value in a single volume anywhere, and that's why illustration professionals in the real world rely on Deke McClelland's entire series of Adobe Product description books to achieve superior results. Whether you need to complete that special project using just one Illustrator function, or if you want to master your entire project using the application suite, Deke's masterful tutelage will guide you step-by-step without confusion or fuss. Real World Illustrator is the no nonsense, rolled up sleeves approach to Illustrator 8.0. And this revised edition of our bestselling book teaches essential techniques from basic to amazing! Don't you want the hottest tips and techniques available? Then you'll want to buy Real World Illustrator 8.0! I recommend it!
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Summary: Hard program; easy book
Review: Most Illustrator books tell you how easy it is to use the program, leaving most of us feeling stupid because we can't figure the darn thing out. McClelland starts by acknowledging that Illustrator can be confusing -- you feel better already -- and goes on to assure you that as you learn the program it will become easier and easier to do more and more complicated things. He then goes on to tell you in clear prose and pictures exactly how these things are done. If more how-to books were written this skillfully, fewer of us graphic artists would suffer depressions.
Rating: 
Summary: Funny book
Review: Most of the material is a repeat of what you find in any other Illustrator book. So why does it deserve five stars? Funny how all of McClelland's books have five star ratings from every single reviewer! It's almost as if someone were paying people to post phoney reviews. Nah - no one would resort to that just to make a few more bucks, right, Deke? Face it, your book is fair. Live with the truth.
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Summary: I can't believe I read the whole thing!
Review: Thirty nine pages of this 832 page book comprise the index; I didn't read that. I read the rest of the book; all of it. Every golden word that issued forth from author Deke McClelland's clever mind. Yes, at times, my eyes glazed over, my mind skipped a beat and there was some missing time. I've had dreams about that. I 'bit the bullet' four years ago with Adobe Photoshop and bought and read one of those three inch books. The type of book that carefully explains how molecules interact in Photoshop. That did the trick for me and I have never regretted it since. Photoshop is now my friend. I put it off and put it off, but the day came when it was time to find a three inch book for Adobe Illustrator. Deke's book "Real World Illustrator 8" is the book I chose. Am I glad I did. What can I say about Deke? I've never met him; or her. He knows Illustrator very well or knows someone in Adobe who does. Deke can and does get the message across in a quick, clear and fun manner. He covers it all and then some. Most of all - I learned Illustrator once and for all! The book will be a constant companion for some time to come. It is arranged in a logical and useful way to both learn from and use in future projects. You can't go wrong buying this book. Some things I'd like to see added or changed are: - A bit more than two and one half pages on Gradient Mesh - A glossary of terms - Treat Windows keystrokes equally It was no big deal to quickly change the Mac keystrokes to the Windows control key or alt key. The world is changing and many of us serious digital artists using Adobe products are on Windows not Mac. I bet Adobe knows how many. Everyone may be surprised. In conclusion I would like to thank Deke McClelland for this book. It is a phenominal accomplishment. Thank you.
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