The LaTeX Graphics Companion: Illustrating Documents with TeX and Postscript(R)

You will learn how to: incorporate graphic files into a LaTeX document, program technical diagrams using several differant languages, produce color pictures, achieve special effects with fragments of embedded PostScript, and make high-quality music scores and games diagrams.

You will find detailed descriptions of: important packages like Xy-pic, PSTricks, and METAPOST; the standard LaTeX color and graphics packages; PostScript fonts and how to use them in LaTeX; the dvips dvi to PostScript driver; and Ghostscript, the free interpreter that lets you view or print PostScript files even if you do not have a PostScript printer.

The authors examine a number of packages that extend or modify LaTeX's basic illustration features, and present hundreds of examples of useful solutions to graphics and font problems. In addition to packages for general drawing, the book also presents specific tools for mathematicians, physicists, chemists, engineers, and people interested in games and music typesetting.

All the packages and programs described in this book are freely available in public software archives, and the source code for all examples has been placed on CTAN, the TeX archives (details on page 497).

However, I don't recommend that raw beginners use this book. You really need some knowledge of LaTeX to understand what's going on. If you're an advanced user, THE LATEX GRAPHICS COMPANION is indispensible.


for serious (La)TeXnicians   November 30, 1997
6 out of 12 found this review helpful

If you have reached the state in which you typeset with (La)TeX just to ``have fun'', this book is for you. It is fun and exciting to read.


Like the JC Penny catalogue: a wish book   June 10, 1999
17 out of 17 found this review helpful

I would have to hazard a guess that this is probably the most advanced LaTeX book on the market. It is lots of fun to look at with its many esoteric uses of LaTeX--typesetting bridge or chess game diagrams, music notation, optical illusions--in other words, stuff that I wish had enough time to learn but probably never will. However, I do find myself looking at this book more than I initially imagined because it is quite useful on subjects such as fonts and the "dvips" program. For these areas, you'll definitely find things to learn and use even if you aren't ever going to typeset Mozart's lost symphony or fiddle with Encapsulated Post-Script code at the primitive command level.


Almost Perfect   January 15, 1999
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

Nicely crafted guidebook to the graphics and fonts. PSTricks, color, chess, chemistry and music - helps you to typeset all of it, and more. My only complain is that the chapter on fonts is vague at places - because the book tries to be so encyclopedic, I guess


Power Latex but not for the Faint of Heart   January 24, 2008
Eric Methot (Bursins, Switzerland)
Need to do charts or graphics using latex? Then this is the book for you. It's the most advanced and complete book on Latex graphics that I've seen. If you would like to implement a reporting system that can draw charts using latex then this book is a must. Though I've not used latex in a while, I do remember that this one is not for the faint of heart. I do put it into the one of "must have" latex books.