Paperback: 464 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.05 x 9.30 x 7.56

Publisher: Peachpit Press; Book and CD-ROM edition (December 10, 2003)

ISBN: 0321168925

I have to say that this is, by far, one of the nicest books (quality wise) I have seen in a long time. Although it is a little pricey at $50 US ($76 CDN), you should be able to buy it at 30% off at almost any online bookstore. The page qualitys and feel are absolutely fantastic and it is also nice to know that the entire book is printed in full color insted of just a small color insert in the middle of the book. Another thing I really appreciated while reading through the book was the template. I'm probably one of the few people on the planet which actually gets bothered when books have a really sloppy template/layout and tips seem to be randomly thrown in a book. This particular book has a somewhat large column on each page which is crammed full of helpful advice. Text which appears in a grey box is a general "Tip", whereas text which appears in a red box stands out and indicates that there is some sort of "Warning". The book also includes both a CD ROM and a very nice quality cardboard "tear out" page which shows various keyboard shortcuts and glossary. This page of shortcuts proved invaluable while working through the book and various exercises.

I can't say enough good things about this book. It is very detailed and covers a very wide range of topics. This book also covers working with Web graphics with Illustrator although it is approximately a 20 page chapter instead of the 313 pages of Illustrator CS Web Graphics Techniques, although te Wow book covers many of the same topics elsewhere.

Chapter 12 of the Wow book discusses using Illustrator with other programs such as Photoshop, InDesign, Acrobat, etc. This book goes into much more detail overall than Sybex's Illustrator CS Web Graphics Techniques, although I believe they are almost aimed at different target audiences. I think that reading the Illustrator CS Web Techniques book first gave me a huge advantage going into the book. The Sybex book is a good primer into Web graphics and Illustrator, but the Wow book makes an excellent reference book and has countless useful tips.

Rating: 5/5 (5/5).