Books by Dan Gookin

Dan Gookin got started with computers back in the post slide rule age of computing: 1982. His first intention was to buy a computer to replace his aged and constantly breaking typewriter. Working as slave labor in a restaurant, however, Gookin was unable to afford the full word processor setup and settled on a computer that had a monitor, keyboard, and little else. Soon his writing career was under way with several submissions to (and lots of rejections from) fiction magazines.The big break came in 1984 when he began writing about computers. Applying his flair for fiction with a self-taught knowledge of computers, Gookin was able to demystify the subject and explain technology in a relaxed and understandable voice. He even dared to add humor, which eventually won him a column in a local computer magazine.Eventually, Gookin's talents came to roost as he became a ghostwriter at a computer book publishing house. That was followed by an editing position at a San Diego computer magazine, at which time he also regularly participated in a radio talk show about computers. In addition, Gookin kept writing books about computers, some of which became minor best-sellers.In 1990, Gookin came to IDG Books Worldwide, Inc., with a book proposal. From that initial meeting unfolded an idea for an outrageous book: a long overdue and original idea for the computer book for the rest of us. What became DOS For Dummies blossomed into an international bestseller with hundreds and thousands of copies in print and many foreign translations.Today, Gookin still considers himself a writer and computer "guru" whose job it is to remind everyone that computers are not to be taken too seriously. His approach to computers is light and humorous yet very informative. He knows that the complex beasts are important and can help people become productive and successful. Yet Gookin mixes his knowledge of computers with a unique, dry sense of humor that keeps everyone informed -- and awake. His favorite quote is, "Computers are a notoriously dull subject, but that doesn't mean I have to write about them that way."Gookin's titles for IDG Books include: DOS For Dummies, Windows 95 Edition; PCs For Dummies, 6th Edition; and Discovering Windows 95. Gookin holds a degree in Communications from the University of California, San Diego, and lives with his wife and four boys in the rare and gentle woods of Idaho.