Buying a Computer for Dummies 2004 Edition
About the Author
Dan Gookin got started with computers back in the post-vacuumtube
age of computing: 1982. His first intention was to buy a computer
to replace his aged and constantly breaking typewriter.
Working as slave labor in a restaurant, however, Gookin was unable
to afford the full “word processor” setup and settled on a computer
that had a monitor, keyboard, and little else. Soon, his writing
career was under way with several submissions to fiction magazines
and lots of rejections.
His big break came in 1984, when he began writing about computers.
Applying his flair for fiction with a self-taught knowledge of
computers, Gookin was able to demystify the subject and explain
technology in a relaxed and understandable voice. He even dared to
add humor, which eventually won him a column in a local computer
magazine.
Eventually, Gookin’s talents came to roost as a ghostwriter at a
computer book publishing house. That was followed by an editing
position at a San Diego magazine. During this time, he also regularly
participated in a radio talk show about computers. In addition,
Gookin kept writing books about computers, some of which
became minor bestsellers.
In 1990, Gookin came to IDG Books Worldwide (now Wiley
Publishing, Inc.) with a book proposal. From that initial meeting
unfolded an idea for an outrageous book: a long overdue and original
idea for the computer book for the rest of us. What became DOS
For Dummies blossomed into an international bestseller with hundreds
of thousands of copies in print and in many translations.
Today, Gookin still considers himself a writer and a computer
“guru” whose job it is to remind everyone that computers are not to
be taken too seriously. His approach to computers is light and
humorous yet very informative. He knows that the complex beasts
are important and can help people become productive and successful.
Gookin mixes his knowledge of computers with a unique, dry
sense of humor that keeps readers informed — and awake. His
favorite quote is “Computers are a notoriously dull subject, but that
doesn’t mean that I have to write about them that way.”
Gookin’s titles for Wiley Publishing include the best-selling DOS For
Dummies, Word For Windows For Dummies, and the Illustrated
Computer Dictionary For Dummies. All told, he has written more
than 80 books about computers. Gookin holds a degree in communication
from the University of California, San Diego.
You can e-mail Dan on the Internet: dang@wambooli.com.