Most Popular Web Sites: The Best of the Net
from A2Z a2z.lycos.com (Second Edition)
Lycos Press, http://www.lycos.com
ISBN 0-7897-1348-9, 1073 pages, includes CD-ROM
$39.99 U.S., $55.95 Canada, £37.49 UK

I liked the book first time around, and I still do with the second edition. Lycos is an excellent Internet resource, and this book expands the reach of http://www.lycos.com in a dedicated CD, Web site, and print format. The impressive style and structure of the first edition have been retained. I personally use the "25 Most Popular Sites" and "Editor's Choice" features on a regular basis. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

New Riders' Official World Wide Web Yellow Pages (Sixth Edition)
New Riders' Publishing, http://www.newriders.com
ISBN 1-56205-785-5, 993 pages, includes CD-ROM
$29.99 U.S., $42.95 Canada, £28.49 UK

...and...

New Riders' Official Internet Yellow Pages (Sixth Edition)
New Riders' Publishing, http://www.newriders.com
ISBN 1-56205-784-7, 1150 pages, includes CD-ROM
$29.99 U.S., $42.95 Canada, £28.49 UK

These books are identical, almost. The informative 61-page Internet primer is the same in each volume, as is every chapter heading: from Advertising, Agriculture, Animals, to Sports, Television, Travel, and Women's Issues. The second book includes as bonus an instructive 43-page Introduction, entitled "Becoming An Internet and World Wide Web Surfer."

In fact, the Official Internet Yellow Pages is, upon careful scrutiny, definitely the superior book of the two. It has everything that the World Wide Web Yellow Pages has, and more. I plan to use the Internet Yellow Pages on a regular basis. This book is splendid value-for-money. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Internet International Directory 1997
by Mitzi Waltz and Steve Schultz
Lycos Press, http://www.lycos.com
ISBN 1-56276-416-0, 605 pages, includes CD-ROM
$39.99 U.S., $56.95 Canada, £37.50 UK

The word "International" defines the specific approach of the Internet International Directory 1997. Regular users of the Internet and World Wide Web consider the Net to be an international phenomenon, but most Net directories concentrate on the United States. Using an attractive and informative design, this book features plentiful screen shots and Editor's Choice sites from around the world. Each listing ends with a category, in bold, such as: "Region: Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, U. S., Eastern Europe" or "Region: Africa, World."

The international aspect of the Internet is expanding tremendously on a daily basis, and we need more books of this magnitude. RECOMMENDED.

Oh, no, three more Web browser books? Oh, yes!

Macworld Discover Internet Explorer 3
by Scott Knaster and Shannon King-Rouse
IDG Books, http://www.idgbooks.com
ISBN 0-7645-4031-9; 308 pages, includes
licensed Microsoft Internet Explorer PPC 3.0 CD
$24.99 U.S., $34.99 Canada, £23.99 UK

Web Discovery Guide: The World's Easiest Guide to the Internet
by Adam Engst
Osborne Books, http://www.osborne.com
ISBN 0-07-882336-6; 491 pages, includes
licensed WorldNet/Explorer CD
$24.99 U.S., $34.99 Canada

Netscape Navigator Starter Kit for Macintosh
by Mark Brown and John Christopher
Hayden Books, http://www.mcp.com/hayden
ISBN 1-56830-320-3, 518 pages, includes
licensed Netscape Navigator 3.0 CD
$34.99 U.S., $49.95 Canada, £32.95 UK

Can we set aside our objectivity for a little while? I admit to no impartiality with regard to these three fine books. I have read each one cover to cover at least twice, and refer to them for specific advice and troubleshooting every week.

The first one, Macworld Discover Internet Explorer 3, was written by two Macintosh veterans who were personally involved in the creation of Explorer 3 for the Mac. We are getting our source material straight from the source itself. As with all the Discover Series books from IDG, valuable features of the book include the Discovery Center blue pages, which contain chapter-by-chapter and page-by-page shortcuts to every command and operation of the software, plus a Visual Index of the basic Explorer screen options. The CD has, in addition to the browser software, a hearty collection of shareware and authors' favorite bookmarks.

Have you used Internet Explorer yet? I'm currently running 3.01a (68K), and it is a smooth and crash-free experience. I don't know about you, but I personally prefer a tangible book to assist me when learning how to use a powerful piece of software. Scott and Shannon's book serves my needs very nicely.

All the criteria for a first-rate Mac app manual are here: good writing, plenty of helpful screen shots and graphics, plus excellent tips, sidebars, summaries, and recommended URLs. Hey, who's that guy trying to rip the book (and browser) away from me? Forget it, buster. I'll be using Explorer 3 for a little while longer, with Macworld Discover Internet Explorer 3 as my constant companion.

The next book, Web Discovery Guide: The World's Easiest Guide to the Internet, is formally an authorized as "The Official AT&T WorldNet Service" handbook, but it has value to the general Web-browser community. I spent several months using WorldNet as my ISP, and I was consistently pleased with it. Adam Engst based the book on WorldNet, since it's the "official" AT&T WorldNet volume, yet he writes with a broad audience in mind.

When necessary, specific directions for each computer platform (Mac and Windows) are given, beginning with itemized installation instructions. The book then jumps straight into customizing and navigating with the browser, which is a WorldNet-dedicated version of Explorer 3. Even though WorldNet itself is a firewall-protected site, once the user is logged in the Internet is still the same Net utilized by everyone else who is online.

Consequently, for solid advice on search engines and directories, newsgroups, email, bookmarks, multimedia, plus a ton of recommended Web sites, this Web Discovery Guide keeps the reader right on course. Adam Engst is one of the premier Internet and Macintosh authors, and he has created a guide which serves both the WorldNet and general Internet community with clarity, substance, and style. Keep up the great work, Adam.

The final book, Netscape Navigator Starter Kit for Macintosh, is the best single source of practical information on version 3 of Netscape. I predict that many satisfied users of Netscape 3 will try Netscape Communicator 4, and then return to old faithful version 3. Navigator 3 is far from perfect, but it does achieve the nearly impossible feat of performing as browser, mail, FTP, and news client software, rain or shine.

This book is loaded with helpful screen shots, charts, tips, and no-nonsense instructions. When I was first learning how to use Navigator, this book was essentially bonded to my hands and eyeballs. Now that I'm comfortable with the software, I turn to the book to refresh my memory, or help with an unfamiliar feature.

Subjects such as creating a personal Web page, browser plug-ins, and Netscape's helper applications are covered in depth. The authors have chapters on Web security, and on forms, in addition to the customary details on browsing and searching the Web. If you use Netscape Navigator 3, look no further than the Netscape Navigator Starter Kit for Macintosh, friends.