Advantages: Save a fortune on repairs/servicing.
Disadvantages: Pictures could be clearer

.... Looking through the pages, I could see exactly how to remove a gearbox and clutch, and then align and fit a new one. Clutch replacement in a garage was around £40 in those days (no quick fit centres), and I paid out around ten quid for the parts needed. Again the same friend helped me out with the gear box, but this time, within two hours I was back on the road with the car in perfect running order. Ever since then, every time I have bought a car (they have got a lot newer now), I have bought the Haynes manual for that make and model. I do my own servicing by the book, and whilst the car does not end up with a service history to add a couple of hundred quid to the trade-in value, I think I profit more by what I save with my DIY. One particular manual that in my opinion has saved me a fortune is the Engine Management and Fuel Injection... Read review

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Advantages: Cheap, easy to follow if you've got half a clue, saves you a fortune on labour charges.
Disadvantages: Photos in black and white, could explain things in a bit more detail.

...At some point or other, most self respecting car owner will have turned their hand to a spot of DIY spanner work, either to save a few bob come service time or simply because their inquisitive noses lead them to poke around at their shiny new motor. When this starts to happen, sooner or later will come the time when you rush headlong into a job and end up making a complete and utter hoop of things, connecting things so ar*e about face that your car ends up in a worse state than it started in. Removing both driveshafts from a Fiesta at the same time without supporting the differential and removing a Suzuki Vitara front hub while in 2wd mode are two of my personal greatest hits. If you like to spend your time in ways other than piecing back together the intricate jigsaw that is a differential or hunting round your workshop for those... Read review

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Advantages: All you need to know to get going in this field
Disadvantages: More on photography tips would be nice!

...kiosk based and online services available. Finally there is a section on creating calendars, getting mugs printed and other such things. I personally find it rather difficult to get enthusiastic about those sort of things but perhaps I'm just too straight laced. The book finishes off with some samples of design documents plus a short bibliography. Conclusion On balance this is another winner in the Missing Manual series. I did feel there could have been a little more on actual photographic techniques but the breadth and thoroughness of coverage more than makes up for that. I found a good number of useful snippets that were clearly based on experience and would save many a novice photographer from suffering any number of mishaps. Whilst aimed at beginners, even experienced photographers who are making the transition to digital... Read review

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Advantages: Save you loads!
Disadvantages: Can be hard to understand.

...Do you own a boat, car, motorcycle, plane, husband, baby, bicycle, house, or commercial vehicle? Then you need a Haynes manual. Haynes manuals have been around for 30+ years, and have provided help for mechanics and car owners alike for that time, with relatively simple step-by-step instructions on what you’re trying to do. No matter what car or bike you own, Haynes are sure to stock a manual for it. The other manuals Haynes do (Boat, Plane etc.) are slightly more scarce, but you may get lucky! Unfortunately, the car I own (Daihatsu Hijet) doesn’t have a Haynes manual for it, but this is a rare exception. The newer Haynes manuals have numbers stating how hard the job you’re trying to do is. 1 is an easy job, say doing an oil change; and 5 is a hard job, say removing your big ends. To be honest, if you don... Read review

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Advantages: Broad coverage, lots of useful tricks, great writing style
Disadvantages: Nothing

...With Windows Vista now out in the wild, anyone who has just bought a new PC or has migrated over from Windows XP will be wondering what hit them. The first tranche of Vista books are now upon us, some aimed at the more technical end of the spectrum, others firmly targetted at people who just want to know how to use it. Windows Vista The Missing Manual could be just what they're looking for. Windows Vista The Missing Manual comes from the rapidly growing stable of 'Missing Manual' books aimed at end users who have either found the online help rather lacking or in the rare case an actual printed manual was supplied with their software, that it skimps on the details. Unlike many books which focus on the new features of Vista, this one is more of a general guide to Windows, it just happens to be Vista in this instance. Accordingly... Read review

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Advantages: Comprehensive monster coverage.
Disadvantages: Presentation and out-dated.

...The old 2nd Edition monstrous manual compiles most of the monster listings released in the Monstrous Compendiums I and II. This single, hard-backed volume is a must for any DM creating their own adventure or campaign. The wide variety of monsters provides bad guys for any encounter, from a small skirmish to a major battle. The list is not all-encompassing by any means, and is not specific to any given world. If you're adventuring in Ravenloft, for example, the manual will give a selection of suitable monsters, but not a great deal. But this is not what the manual is designed to do. It is the basic source of creatures that, in my opinion, every DM should own and covers all possibilities. If you want to give your players a varied, exciting experience, its a must buy. However, the manual does lack in certain areas. For starters... Read review

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Advantages: Very comprehensive
Disadvantages: Might be better in binder format ,not hardback

...The Essential Managers Manual really is essential. It is written by Robert Heller and Tim Hindle (edited by David Tombesi-Walton) and published by DK. The vital information in the book is broken down into logical sections and the information is presented coherently and understandably. The introduction sets the tone for the whole book. "In today's fast-moving business word," it warns, "organisations are constantly evolving, and the role of the manager is becoming ever more diverse." That's very true. And some managers sink under the rapidly rising waters of change. This book can be described either as a lifeboat or at the very least a floatation device for those struggling to keep their head above the murky waters and uncharted depths of "corporate change." The book is over 860 pages long and is designed as a comprehensive... Read review

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Advantages: Behind the scenes information, fills in some badly needed gaps
Disadvantages: None

...'Reilly and specifically Jessica Mantaro have now come to the rescue with another of O'Reilly's Missing Manual series. These books are intended, as the name suggests, to be everything an application's bundled manual (ha!) wasn't. This latest title is divided in to five main sections. These cover the basics, improving your web site, building and managing, databases and Microsoft Office integration. An appendix covers each and every menu option. One of the real strengths of this book is the amount of timely and real world advice. For instance, it covers how to create frames then points out just what a bad idea they are and why. It is also honest about some of the nastier areas of FrontPage and what to do to avoid problems. Happily, CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) and layers are promoted strongly although it does also show how to use tables for layout... Read review

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Advantages: Saves Cash, Starts a New Hobby
Disadvantages: Diagrams can be difficult to Understand away from Car

...that it tells you that reassembly is exactly the same process as disassembly but in reverse, this is a bit lazy of them and could cause mass panic in the minds of the mechanically inept. My advice here is not to worry if you are mechanically inept as the manual is easy to follow forwards and backwards and do what I did. Start by replacing small and insignificant parts and build your skills, the Haynes manual is ideal for this. Using the Haynes manual is easy and after replacing a couple of parts your knowledge of your car and the mysteries that lie under the bonnet increases exponentially. Even if you don't do any servicing yourself it is handy as you can start talking to mechanics with a little knowledge, which sometimes impresses them. A word of warning though the book sometimes makes highly difficult tasks look disgustingly easy. The way... Read review

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Advantages: will help you save money on repairs
Disadvantages: you really think ill fix my own car?

...As mentioned in my recently updated review my Micra is coming close to being taken off the road due to old age. But in the 11 months since I bought her she has needed no work doing at a garage other than the service I had done to ensure she would be safe during the winter months. The reason for this, the Haynes Manual that the previous owner had pruchased and passed on to me when I bought her. Being somewhat of a technical idiot I knew nothing about the section of car which is covered by the bonnet, and in all honesty would struggle to point out the oil and water filler caps. But knowing that my baby had an oil leak it was a priority to check which was which in order to keep an eye on it, now being a young female living in a very masculine environment the obvious solution would be to ask one of the many nice uniformed men to help... Read review

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