A Guide to LATEX: Document Preparation for Beginners and Advanced Users (3rd Edition)

The book explains the LATEX macro package for the TEX text formatting program, presenting a complete description for beginners, going on to more advanced and specialized features. Files for LATEX processing contain the actual text plus markup and programming command, al as ASCII text, something tat makes them portable to every computer system. The LATEX/TEX program processes these files to produce high-quality typeset results, especially for complicated mathematics.

LATEX offers the user all the features of any text processing system: automatic section formatting, numbering of sections, figures, tables and equations, table of contents, lists of figures and tables, cross-referencing to the numbers, bibliography, keyword index, colour, inclusion of illustrations. All of these are demonstrated to the reader via examples and exercises through a structure that takes him or her from the simplest beginnings to the more complicated refinements.

I was all set to buy two books--Lamport's original and The LaTeX Ccmpanion. After all, you wouldn't read another TeX book but Knuth's, would you? Then I saw this book.

Though certainly not for the advanced programmer (like, on the .cls level), this book is great for the beginning programmer (creating .sty files) and intermediate user (hacking .sty files). The reference bits are very useful--"What's the syntax of that command again?" But the examples in the earlier part of the book are even better for programming-by-plaigiarism. There's even a bit on docstrip so you can be a real LaTeX programmer.

I don't think I'll buy another book on LaTeX for another five years.


Book author strongly recommends   November 7, 2001
Alejandro Garcia (San Jose, CA USA)
36 out of 37 found this review helpful

I use LaTeX on a daily basis and wrote a textbook (Numerical Methods for Physics) using it. With a bookshelf full of LaTeX books, this is always the first one I look at and 98% of the time, the only one I need. Excellent. (Note: Review for Second Edition)


An excellent tutorial *or* reference!   March 31, 1998
Christopher Fallen (ctfallen@bigfoot.com) (Norman, Oklahoma)
19 out of 20 found this review helpful

I had to write an extremely formula intensive paper with loads of archane mathematical symbols, and I had no previous knowledge of TeX or LaTeX. Without this book, I'd still be formatting that paper. Almost everything I needed to know about LaTeX, I learned in about an afternoon and a half from this well organized treatment of LaTeX. "A Guide..." is filled with usefull examples, explains the important concepts and features clearly and concisely, and provides an extensive appendix covering most of the features of LaTeX. I chose Kopka's "Guide" over the Lamport book because Kopka seems to provide a more comprehensive coverage of the language and the organization better fit my needs. However, I don't think you can go wrong with either book.


Best LaTeX book I know of   October 4, 1999
15 out of 16 found this review helpful

This book is the best LaTeX book I know of. Its breadth and depth of information is superior to any other book I know of and the book is easy to understand.

I first reach for _A Guide to LaTeX_, my second choice is _The LaTeX Companion_, my last choice is _LaTeX: A Document Preparation System_.

My advice: buy this book, if it doesn't answer all your questions buy _The LaTeX Companion_.


best LaTeX book on the market!   September 16, 2001
Daniel Lyons (Socorro, NM United States)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

Back when I started using LaTeX, I bought this book expecting it to be a good guide along the way.

That was two years ago, and now I have to say that it is not only the best tutorial/reference on LaTeX, it is also the most well-worn book in my vast collection of computer literature. Only recently did I stop finding the answers I was looking for in this book, and that is because I have (I believe) matured to an advanced LaTeX user.

This book covers everything you need to know as you're starting out: basic usage of everything, basic font changing, basic graphics, tables, letters, bibliographies, mathematics, and basic programming. If you're starting out and you have a question, the answer is in this book. I've flipped through Leslie Lamport's book, and I found it to be too sparse of an introduction. This book is for the hardcore user, the one who wants to do all his English papers in something more powerful and at the same time faster.

This book showed me that text processing really can replace word processing. After you see the output, you'll be in love. What sets this book apart is that it really is what the title says: for beginning AND advanced users. No one is left out. Definitely pick it over the other introductions, because it will be with you for the long haul.