Microsoft Word 2000 is a massive program. It does a lot. But the truth is that you don't need to know everything about Word to use it. A better question is: Do you want to know everything about Microsoft Word? Probably not. You don't want to know all the command options, all the typographical mumbo-jumbo, or even all those special features that you know are in there but terrify you. No, all you want to know is the single answer to a tiny question. Then you can happily close the book and be on your way. If that's you, you've found your book.

Good news: This book is not meant to be read from cover to cover. Microsoft Word 2000 For Dummies is full of self-contained sections, each of which describes how to perform a specific task or get something done. Sample sections you encounter in this book include

• Saving your stuff
• Cutting and pasting a block
• Quickly finding your place
• Aligning paragraphs
• A quick way to cobble a table together
• A caption for your figure
• Step-by-step mail merging guide

There are no keys to memorize, no secret codes, no tricks, no pop-up dioramas, and no wall charts. Instead, each section explains a topic as if it's the first thing you read in this book. Nothing is assumed, and everything is cross-referenced. Technical terms and topics, when they come up, are neatly shoved to the side where you can easily avoid reading them. The idea here isn't for you to learn anything. This book's philosophy is to help you look it up, figure it out, and get back to work.

This book informs and entertains. And it has a serious attitude problem. After all, the goal of the book is not to teach you to love Microsoft Word. Instead, be prepared to encounter some informative, down-to-earth explanations – in English – of how to get the job done by using Microsoft Word. You take your work seriously, but you definitely don't need to take Microsoft Word seriously.