For Dummies
 | |
| Author | Various |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Rich Tennant(UK editions useEd McLachlan) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Instructional/reference |
| Publisher | IDG Books/Hungry Minds.LaterWiley. |
| Published | October 1, 1991 (DOS For Dummies) |
| Website | dummies |
For Dummiesis an extensive series of instructionalreference bookswhich are intended to present non-intimidating guides for readers new to the various topics covered. The series has been a worldwide success with editions in numerous languages.
The books are an example of amedia franchise,consistently sporting a distinctive cover—usually yellow and black with a triangular-headed cartoon figure known as the "Dummies Man", and an informal, blackboard-style logo. Prose is simple and direct; bold icons, such as a piece of string tied around an index finger, are placed in the margin to indicate particularly important passages.
History[edit]
The first title,DOS For Dummies,[1]was written byDan Gookinand published in November 1991 by IDG Books.DOS For Dummiesbecame popular due to the rarity of beginner-friendly materials for usingDOS.The Windows title written byAndy Rathbonewas soon released. While initially the series focused solely on software and technology topics, it later branched out to more general-interest titles, with topics as diverse asAcneFor Dummies,ChessFor Dummies,FishingFor Dummiesand many other topics. The series is now published byJohn Wiley & Sons, Inc.,[2]which acquired Hungry Minds (the new name for IDG Books as of 2000) in early 2001.[3]
NotableFor Dummiesbooks include:
- DOS For Dummies,the first, published in 1991, whose first printing was just 7,500 copies[4][5]
- Windowsfor Dummies,asserted to be the best-selling computer book of all time, with more than 15 million sold[4]
- L'Histoire de France Pour Les Nuls,the top-selling non-EnglishFor Dummiestitle, with more than 400,000 sold[4]
Parts[edit]
Almost allDummiesbooks are organized around sections called "parts", which are groups of related chapters. Parts are almost always preceded by aRich Tennantcomic that refers to some part of the subject under discussion, though the comics were discontinued in 2012.[6]Sometimes the same Tennant drawing reappears in anotherDummiesbook with a new caption.
Another constant in theDummiesseries is "The Part of Tens", a section at the end of the books where lists of 10 items are included. They are usually resources for further study and sometimes also include amusing bits of information that do not fit readily elsewhere.
Expansions and alternative versions[edit]
Several related series have been published, includingDummies 101,with step-by-step tutorials in a large-format book (now discontinued);More... for Dummies,which are essentially sequels to the first... For Dummiesbook on the subject; andFor Dummies Quick Reference,which is a condensed alphabetical reference to the subject. A largerAll-in-One Desk Referenceformat offers more comprehensive coverage of the subject, normally running about 750 pages. Also, some books in the series are smaller and do not follow the same formatting style as the others.
Wiley has also launched an interactive online course with Learnstreet based on its popular book,Java for Dummies,5th edition.[7]
A spin-off board game,Crosswordsfor Dummies,was produced in the late 1990s.[8]The game is similar toScrabble,but instead of letter tiles, players draw short strips of cardboard containing pre-built English words. The words vary in length from three to seven letters, with more points acquired for playing longer words. Another board game,SAT Game For Dummies,is used inSATpreparation. AChessfor Dummieswas made, a black-and-yellow chessboard with a picture of a piece, along with a summary of how the piece moves, printed its starting positions, although there is a book with the same name.
In 2009, French publisherAnuman Interactiveobtained the digital exploitation rights and launched many applications based on theFor Dummiescollection, such asHome Design 3D For DummiesandHistory For Dummies.[9]
See also[edit]
- Complete Idiot's Guides– a similar series of how-to books fromAlpha Books
- FabJob– a similar series of how-to-books for starting a business or dream career
- Pour les nuls,the French edition
- Teach Yourself– another similar series published byHodder Headline
- Very Short Introductions,a similar series of introductory books published by theOxford University Press
- Introducing...(book series)
References[edit]
- ^"The For Dummies Success Story".Archived fromthe originalon June 29, 2011.
- ^Fletcher, Carol (February 8, 2007)."John Wiley takes over Blackwell Publishing".The Record.Vol. 112, no. 249. Hackensack, New Jersey: New Jersey Media Group. p. B3 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^John Wiley & Sons, Inc. to Complete Acquisition of Hungry Minds, Inc.Wiley, September 21, 2001
- ^abc"Ten (or So) Eye-Popping Statistics".For Dummies. Archived fromthe originalon February 28, 2016.RetrievedNovember 26,2014.
- ^Group, Gale; Grant, T. (1999).International Directory of Company Histories.Gale virtual reference library. St. James Press. p. 222.ISBN978-1-55862-386-6.RetrievedFebruary 3,2018.
Not knowing anything about computers, the customer suggested, 'Something like DOS for dummies.' The remark stuck with Kilcullen. In 1991 he was attending a publishing conference as the co-founder and publisher of IDG Books Worldwide. One of the speakers at the conference was author Dan Gookin. Impressed with Gookin's take on the publishing industry, Kilcullen signed him up to authorDOS for Dummies.The first print run ofDOS for Dummieswas 7,500 copies. The book...
- ^Graham, Ruth (April 4, 2016)."Don't Feel Like a Dummy for Loving the Dummies Guides".Slate Magazine.
- ^"Online Java for Dummies".Archived fromthe originalon March 24, 2014.RetrievedMarch 28,2017.
- ^Parker, E. Timothy."Tips for Solving Crossword Puzzles".dummies.com.
- ^"Logiciels: Anuman Interactive s'attaque au marché américain".January 5, 2004.RetrievedMarch 28,2017.
External links[edit]
- Official website
- Titles and Description of allFor Dummiestitles(ArchivedSeptember 25, 2019, at theWayback Machine)
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