Article:		Are "how to" books archaic?
Subject:		what makes a good howto book
Date:		2003-11-12 13:31:15
From:		anonymous2
What makes a quality technical book isn't simply how good the "how to" instructions it contains are but also how well the author is able to explain they the "why" (which is a lot harder to do!). Understanding (and therefore problem solving ability) comes from the discussions of "why" - the "howto" part provides the hands-on instruction. I've kept many a book whose code or command listings are technically obsolete because the author provided a fantastic exposition of the subject matter. I also find the latter much easier to read in book form than on a computer screen.

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• what makes a good howto book
  2003-12-02 02:41:53  ramonf [Reply | View]
  
  
  This is an utterly excellent point. It's probably part of the reason while Knuth's book is still selling (though rumour has it that it's not read that often). Long live the "fantastic exposition"!