# Would you buy a book in the "For Dummies" series? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 20, 2010, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-book-in-the-for-dummies-series/564884 "2010-12-20T22:59:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-book-in-the-for-dummies-series/564884/21 "2010-12-21T00:52:14Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Really, the damned things are so common now, does anyone in the world take the titles seriously? > > Having said that, the books in those series are of extremely varied quality. Some are very useful introductions to their subjects; some should probably have been subjected to a few readings of Coherent Editing Of Books For Dummies. So be careful what you buy. Word. I got one, and I can’t even remember if it was the Idiot’s or Dummies book, for Microsoft Office. That puppy made me a whiz kid. Of course, I lost it, and, having checked the library, find that even the updated versions are fairly limp, in comparison. Best wishes, hh ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-book-in-the-for-dummies-series/564884/22 "2010-12-21T00:58:26Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > I’ve bought _Dummies_ books in the past, but never any of the _Idiot’s Guide_. Maybe I haven’t checked enough, but the former always seemed better written. I found the opposite, at least for what I was buying them. The Idiot’s Guide to HTML was easier to use than the HTML for Dummies (or whatever it was). I’m sure it varies. ---
**Author:** ![Sateryn76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Sateryn76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sateryn76)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-book-in-the-for-dummies-series/564884/23 "2010-12-21T01:00:30Z")
I’ve never understood the problem with the title. When it come to those topics, I am a Dummy, so I need the book, right? I have lots of these books, and I find them unfailingly helpful. If it’s something new I want to know about, these books are where I start. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-book-in-the-for-dummies-series/564884/24 "2010-12-21T01:16:14Z")
Philosophy for Dummies is really good for a 101 course. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-book-in-the-for-dummies-series/564884/25 "2010-12-21T01:18:09Z")
I’ve probably bought and read more than a dozen of them, on various topics, over the years. For the most part they are well written and interesting, and the authors know what they’re talking about. They are not for experts, as their titles indicate, but for the beginner they are very good, in almost any subject. ---
**Author:** ![Jaguars](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaguars/32/5879_2.png) [@Jaguars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaguars)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-book-in-the-for-dummies-series/564884/26 "2010-12-21T01:19:13Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > Did Programming for Dummies come out before or after [Juggling for the Complete Klutz?](http://www.klutz.com/book/Juggling-for-the-Complete-Klutz) That was the first jokey ‘for’ book that I ever ran across. Juggling one is 30yrs old so about 10 years older. The programming one used Qbasic and I thought it was the first of the yellow for dummies series, but I checked on wiki and apparently DOS for dummies was the first. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-book-in-the-for-dummies-series/564884/27 "2010-12-21T01:24:43Z")
Well, I’m vastly in the minority on this one. I’m going to take a second look at a “For Dummies” book next time I’m in the bookstore. I don’t mind being called ignorant, but “dummy” means stupid. I’m not a genius, but I’m not stupid either. In most cases, I really wouldn’t have a problem with it, but there was no way I was going to buy a Swiss History book for dummies, in my hometown, a few steps away from the college where I graduated and got A’s in the subject! I could never have lived it down if one of my college buddies saw me. If you see the guy buying a “Window screen installation for dummies” book, that might be me. Don’t point and laugh at him. ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_Doubt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7cd45c/32.png) [@Angel\_of\_Doubt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_Doubt)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-book-in-the-for-dummies-series/564884/28 "2010-12-21T01:32:06Z")
Sure, I didn’t know thatch from a thicket till I read “Lawn Care for Dummies”. I know the series started out as mainly programming/computer books, correct? I hope they have some PC-related stuff still. Some of the threads on here discussing laptop/pc issues make me feel like a real dummy! ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-book-in-the-for-dummies-series/564884/29 "2010-12-21T01:39:50Z")
I’m pretty sure [this](http://www.1966vwbeetle.com/Forum/files/compleat_idiot_book_191.jpg) excellent and extremely accessible book set the stage for the “idiot” and “dummies” books that followed decades later. Easy is hard. It takes talent to make a subject accessible to people with no prior familiarity. To advertise a book as “\ for Dummies” implies that you can come in with no prior knowledge of that \ or even any related info and take this book in hand and get the hang of it. They don’t all live up to that specification (some should be retitled “\ for the Intermediate Novice User”) but there’s absolutely no shame for me in reaching for such a text. I’ve been thinking I should buy a “Cell Phones for the Compleat Idiot” kind of guide myself. And then after that, iPhone for Dummies. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-book-in-the-for-dummies-series/564884/30 "2010-12-21T02:07:00Z")
Yep, have several of them. Hawaii for Dummies is sitting on my desk right now. They tend to be readable introductions to a topic. Personal Finance for Dummies remains one of the best intro personal finance books around. ---
**Author:** ![RachelChristine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@RachelChristine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RachelChristine)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-book-in-the-for-dummies-series/564884/31 "2010-12-21T02:16:44Z")
I’ve never understood why people have a problem with the title either. My oldest wants to be a lawyer, and one of her friends got her the “Law School for Dummies” book for her 16th birthday. She was real apologetic and was so worried she’d be offended, but thought she might like it too. I mean, she wasn’t buying a law student this book, she was buying it for a 16 year old who wants to be a lawyer someday. She _IS_ a “dummy” on the subject. I think they are great (I personally have read more Idiot’s books, but whatever). I tend to read the History ones, and I’ve read the Jane Austen one too. It’s perfect for an era where I’m interested enough to want to brush up on it or get familiar with it, but it’s not a thing I really want to study in-depth, at least not right now. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-book-in-the-for-dummies-series/564884/32 "2010-12-21T02:31:48Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > I’m pretty sure [this](http://www.1966vwbeetle.com/Forum/files/compleat_idiot_book_191.jpg) excellent and extremely accessible book set the stage for the “idiot” and “dummies” books that followed decades later. . . Excellent! That’s 41 years ago. And it may be riffing on The Compleat Angler , first published in 1653 by Izaak Walton. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-book-in-the-for-dummies-series/564884/33 "2010-12-21T02:52:17Z")
I finally tossed out my DOS for Dummies when I realised I was never going to be needing again. I’m currently running Vista. At any rate, I like the Dummies books better than the Idiots books, and have no trouble buying or borrowing one from the library. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-book-in-the-for-dummies-series/564884/34 "2010-12-21T03:03:52Z")
Also the fact that they publish guides for fairly technical topics, like say C++ or MySQL for Dummies should clue you in to the fact that the title is a gimmick since people who are _actually_ dumb can’t even begin to comprehend computer programming languages. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-book-in-the-for-dummies-series/564884/35 "2010-12-21T03:16:24Z")
I have a few “For Dummies” books, and had no qualms about buying them. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-book-in-the-for-dummies-series/564884/36 "2010-12-21T03:20:21Z")
> [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#): > > Would you buy a book in t he [For Dummies](http://www.dummies.com/) or [Complete Idiot’s](http://www.idiotsguides.com/) series? > > I know it’s stupid, but it would be a struggle for me to buy a book like that. I would hate to proclaim my stupidity to the world. Last time I was on vacation in Switzerland, I wanted to buy a general purpose Swiss history book to brush up on Swiss history, and the guy in the bookstore recommended a “Swiss History for Dummies” book ([L’Histoire de la Suisse pour les nuls](http://www.amazon.fr/LHistoire-Suisse-Georges-Andrey/dp/2754004890/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1292885680&sr=8-1))! Seeing as how I graduated from the college only a couple of blocks away, my feelings were hurt, and instead I got another, more scholarly book, that has an intelligent analysis of Swiss history, but for what I was interested in at the time (events, dates, rulers, battles, etc.) the dummies book would probably have been better. > > Would you be able to buy a “for dummies” book and walk out of the bookstore with your head held high? I would be hiding the book in a brown bag and slinking away. If someone I knew saw me, I would have to lie and say the book was for “a friend”. It’s funny to see this thread. I would never buy a “For Dummies” book, not out of shame in not knowing something, but because I’m not a dummy and I really dislike that characterization. I know it’s my baggage, not the book’s. While I am happy to admit I don’t know something and then learn about it, that doesn’t make me dummy. The funny thing is, I would never think twice about someone who got one. It’s really my hang up about being called stupid, as I went through a period in school where I was thought of as being, well, dumb. I’m not and a lot of my self worth is tied up in being the smart kid (I was never the cute kid, the athletic kid or the rich kid. Smart was what I had). ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-book-in-the-for-dummies-series/564884/37 "2010-12-21T03:20:36Z")
> [@Jaguars](#): > > Juggling one is 30yrs old so about 10 years older. The programming one used Qbasic and I thought it was the first of the yellow for dummies series, but I checked on wiki and apparently DOS for dummies was the first. Yeah, I learned juggling from the Klutz book. It’s was fun. And for many years, even when an established guy, I had both DOS and HTML for Dummies on my desk bookshelf. Far too useful in the 90s not to have a handy reference like that. ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-book-in-the-for-dummies-series/564884/38 "2010-12-21T03:25:43Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > Yes I did for C+ programing. I ordered the C++ book for myself for Christmas. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-book-in-the-for-dummies-series/564884/39 "2010-12-21T03:28:25Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > Yep, have several of them. Hawaii for Dummies is sitting on my desk right now. They tend to be readable introductions to a topic. > > Personal Finance for Dummies remains one of the best intro personal finance books around. I agree that Personal Finance for Dummies is one of the best of the series, and also I found Home Buying for Dummies extremely helpful when I was in that stage of my life. ---
**Author:** ![Fionn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fionn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fionn)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-book-in-the-for-dummies-series/564884/40 "2010-12-21T03:54:40Z")
I prefer the Complete Idiot’s series, but I have them on my bookshelf with no shame whatsoever. They’re useful for gaining information quickly. If it’s a subject that truly interests me, I’ll go on to read other sources about it. If not, I have what I need to know at the time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-book-in-the-for-dummies-series/564884.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-book-in-the-for-dummies-series/564884.md?page=3)