I’ve bought several books from the “For Dummies” series and quite like them.
I’ve bought several. The Wine for Dummies book really educated my husband and I when we were wine newbs. Ferrets for Dummies is respected enough that the local (Chicago-area) ferret shelter asks for copies of that book as a donation item, so they can distribute them to new ferret owners. Rabbits for Dummies has been an excellent resource in getting to know my new pets.
The only one I’ve bought and haven’t been as impressed with was Homebrewing for Dummies, but my quibbles with it are minor. (I prefer the online “How to Brew” guide by John Palmer, among others.)
If I asked you to write a 50 page report on Curaçao you’re probably going to head to wiki or Encyclopedia Britannica before you pick up a 700 page book on that island (presuming of course you aren’t a walking authority on Curaçao, which I’m sure somebody here probably is). I use Dummies books for the same reason: a concise intro to an unfamiliar topic that presumes no foreknowledge. It’s especially a great brand for us ‘digital immigrants’ (a phrase meaning those who were adults when they first used computers) and those of us who are convinced that the people who write the official manuals- if by chance there is one which is increasingly rare- are sadistic in general and hate English speakers in particular.
Not all Dummies/Idiots books are created equal: I’ve flipped through some that are dreadful. For that reason I wouldn’t buy one off Amazon or some other online place until I’d either looked at it in a bookstore or unless they had a lot available for preview. In general though I could open one up on most topics in the middle of a restaurant in a university town and not be the least embarrassed.
I had bought DOS For Dummies probably 18 years ago. In the past few years I’ve bought Saltwater Aquariums For Dummies and Investing For Dummies. I’d happily buy another one on something else I wanted to learn about.
They’re good books, easy to read, informative and I like the format that everything is laid out in.
I’ve bought a number of them over the years, on topics ranging from computer programs to hockey to role-playing games. I’ve found them to be generally useful.
I have several of the “XXXX PC application for Dummies”.
I would have categorised myself as advanced before I bought them. I was writing in-house training courses and the structure and examples were a good template for the entry to mid range users that I was training. I always cited the book in the course notes.
If I could answer any question posed in a “… for Dummies” I was confident I could teach the application.
I used the Idiot’s Guide to Home Buying. I agree that you have to flip through them as some are better than others, but I found that one quite helpful.
I like Judaism for Dummies.
Very easy to read and gives an overview aimed at everyone from “student of comparative religion” to “secular Jew looking to discover more about their heritage” to “thinking about conversion”.
It is written by two non-orthodox Rabbis and is an interesting read.
No qualms about buying or owning one, but like several other people have noted the quality can vary from “excellent introductory guide” to “way too simple” or “too much padding”.
If the book is good, I’ll get it. No shame that it is “for Dummies…”. If I don’t know a subject well enough, I would grab any useful sources.
ETA: However, I don’t have much good experience with “Learn xxx Programming in 24 hours” titles.
Yes, but it’s a reference guide for the rest of us.
(I’ve actually got “Weight Lifting for Dummies” in the WC. )
I wouldn’t - I’m with the OP. Not because I really care, but just because I think the concept itself is stupid and was never very impressed with its psuedo-cutesy pretentiousness.
Wow, that’s a lot to ascribe to one little book, huh? 
Oh well.
Like the majority, I would have absolutely no problem buying one because of the title. My problem is I’m cheap, and I’d rather go to my local library and borrow the copy.
A year and a half ago, I wanted a Labrador Retriever, and so went to the library and borrowed both (Idiots and Dummies) books as well as 2-4 other types on raising Labs. Between Idiots and Dummies, I’m not sure which was better, but both had very good basic information for someone like me, who’d never had a Lab (I had a bassett/beagle mix before).
Besides, what the hell do I care what some person at a bookstore checkout counter thinks of my purchase? As long as I’ve got the money to make the purchase, and I’m not causing trouble or trying to rob the place, I doubt they care a whit about what I’m buying. In fact, they may be interested, or might be able to recommend a better title (if it’s a bookstore–if I’m buying the book at a grocery store or some other non-expert place, the cashier can take a flying leap for all I care).
That last sentence sounds harsher than I mean it, but really, I don’t care what a cashier thinks of my purchase. They’re there to ring my purchase, not moralize over it. And anyone else in the store? As Vonnegut said, they can go take a flying leap at a rolling doughnut.
I like the Dummies books, but I have to admit to a conflict of interest on this one.
The title is tongue in cheek, and the quality definitely depends on the editors and writers for each volume. But I have found that their programming and software guides are really useful.
An old sweetie and I used to own the Volkswagen’s Guide for Compleat Idiots, or whatever it was called. It was terribly useful.
I just saw an idiot’s guide for Farmville, though, so…I’d admit to the Volkswagen one, but after that…it seems to have gone downhill.
I like 'em. Sure, you don’t read them cover to cover, but for basic intros to new subjects you want to learn more about, there’s no better resource. Older ones were written by hacks, but the newer ones are almost all fantastic and written by real professionals with a knack for writing.
Early on in my marriage, my new father-in-law gave me The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Beer as a Christmas gift. I enjoyed and appreciated it, and had no qualms about the title whatsoever.
I later learned that my mother-in-law had tried to talk him out of giving the book to me, thinking I would be insulted. I had to assure her that I was not.
(My wife’s sister’s husband is much more like my FIL than I am. He’s been around longer and the two of them are golfing buddies and are very tight. They give me a hard time sometimes but I give it right back, and in truth the three of us get along great. But MIL worries that I don’t fit in. She’s a sweet lady, but I think she still doesn’t get how difficult it is to hurt my feelings.)
Yeah, I got the Drupal 24 hour programming book and the next day brought it back to the library and picked up Drupal for Dummies. Much better!
Seriously, I can’t imagine being butt-hurt about buying a book that says it’s for dummies. A little humility is good medicine.
Thank you for posting this. I just looked and sure enough they have “Archaeology for Dummies.” My 12 yo son will be getting it for Christmas.
A lot of the Dummies books are very good. The brand has been diluted with it’s expansion into so many subjects. There’s a dummies book for nearly any subject.
I’ve bought several of their computer programming books.