AppleScriptFor Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))

poorly written:
This book gives the basics but little more. What rates it a one star, however, is the inane writing. The descriptions of the AppleScript functions are flat and uninteresting, and the book itself is poorly organized and bears no trace of even the most minor editing. Even worse, the author has this infuriating habit of inserting feeble little jokes at the start of almost every paragraph. It makes for some of the worst writing I have ever encountered. If you're looking for a serious discussion of AppleScript, do yourself a favor and invest in Danny Goodman's far superior AppleScript handbook.

Poorly written:
If this book is for dummies then I must be an idiot. There are major gaps in the logic and it assumes that you have done lots of programming before getting this book. Don't waste your money

Hide all sharp objects...:
I'm in total agreement with Chuck and especially Jerad. This book is poorly organized and poorly written. Contrary to the basic concept of the "For Dummies" series, Mr. Trinko does not clearly and concisely explain the concepts of AppleScript. The book is overflowing with off topic, idiotic attempts at humor which make it very hard to read by breaking your concentration and the flow of information (if there was any to begin with). The title is very fitting however, I for one feel like a world class dummy for buying it.

Even At Times Lame Humor Helps:
As a person with rudimentary programming experience (I've taken basic courses in Pascal and C) I'm finding Mr. Trinko's book helpful. The criticism that his injecting bits of humor interferes with learning AppleScript doesn't resonate with me. While not every pun evokes a grin, they take up only a fraction of a second of reading time, and they lighten the task of learning a complex technical skill. I have no way to judge whether Trinko's approach is poorly organized or not, but the pace of learning and exposure to new topics seems to me smooth and continuous. When he pops in a concept that won't be fully explained until later in the text, he warns the reader. He also reminds the reader where to look back in previous chapters to review a particular idea that has become important again in the discussion. I find the book a welcome companion. Whether I'll become proficient at AppleScript after having finished it is another matter. I bought this book, assuming that it is a low-level introductory guide, and not a fully fleshed out handbook for developers. I would expect to go on to study more sophisticated presentations that contain expanded reference resources. Meanwhile, I'm having fun with AppleScript for Dummies.

Good starters guide:
As a non-programmer I found this a really easy introduction to Applescripting - everything I know about it came from this book. The weak gags wear a little thin after a while, but I guess lighten the tone a bit. My only criticism is that there isn't more info in scripting specific apps like Quark, Illustrator etc but you can't win em all, eh? An excellent intro to Applescripting, folks who can already program may need something more technical though. r.