Go ahead and skip these next few chapters. You don’t need them. After all, everyone knows how to use Word to type a letter to Mom, tap out a report on the Komodo dragon, or clack out a recipe. But you can also use it to chart the Sweet Sixteen as they struggle through March Madness, snap off a To Do list that’s as attractive as it is helpful, or put together a company newsletter that gets you noticed. Word offers the basic features of a desktop publisher, graphics utility, Dictaphone, and about a hundred other programs rolled into one convenient—if somewhat large—package.

The next few chapters teach you how to unwrap that package and put it to good use. From typing your first word to formatting complex layouts and creating templates for mass-producing your own favorite documents, these chapters will teach you everything that you’ve ever wanted to know about Word…and perhaps more. So, on second thought, you better not skip these chapters after all.