''For Dummies'' is an extensive series of instructional

reference books A reference work is a work, such as a paper, book or periodical (or their electronic equivalents), to which one can refer for information. The information is intended to be found quickly when needed. Such works are usually ''referred'' to f ...

which 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 a

media franchise A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or ...

, 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. Almost all ''Dummies'' books are organized around sections called "parts", which are groups of related chapters. Parts are almost always preceded by a Rich Tennant comic that refers to some part of the subject under discussion, though the comics were discontinued in 2012. Sometimes the same Tennant drawing reappears in another ''Dummies'' book with a new caption. Another constant in the ''Dummies'' series 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.

History

The first title, ''DOS For Dummies'', was written by

Dan Gookin Dan Gookin is a computer book author who wrote the first '' ...For Dummies'' books including ''DOS for Dummies'' and ''PCs for Dummies,'' establishing the design and voice of the long-running series that followed, incorporating humor and jokes in ...

and published in November 1991 by IDG Books. ''DOS For Dummies'' became popular due to the rarity of beginner-friendly materials for using

DOS DOS is shorthand for the MS-DOS and IBM PC DOS family of operating systems. DOS may also refer to: Computing * Data over signalling (DoS), multiplexing data onto a signalling channel * Denial-of-service attack (DoS), an attack on a communicat ...

. The Windows title written by Andy Rathbone was 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 as ''

Acne Acne, also known as ''acne vulgaris'', is a long-term skin condition that occurs when dead skin cells and oil from the skin clog hair follicles. Typical features of the condition include blackheads or whiteheads, pimples, oily skin, and ...

For Dummies'', ''

Chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...

For Dummies'', ''

Fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

For Dummies'' and many other topics. The series is now published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., which acquired Hungry Minds (the new name for IDG Books as of 2000) in early 2001. Dummies (2973280850)

Notable ''For Dummies'' books include: * ''DOS For Dummies'', the first, published in 1991, whose first printing was just 7,500 copies * ''

Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

for Dummies'', asserted to be the best-selling computer book of all time, with more than 15 million sold * ''L'Histoire de France Pour Les Nuls'', the top-selling non-English ''For Dummies'' title, with more than 400,000 sold

Expansions and alternative versions

Several related series have been published, including ''Dummies 101'', with step-by-step tutorials in a large-format book (now discontinued); ''More ... for Dummies'', which are essentially sequels to the first ''... For Dummies'' book on the subject; and ''For Dummies Quick Reference'', which is a condensed alphabetical reference to the subject. A larger ''All-in-One Desk Reference'' format 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. A spin-off board game, ''

Crossword A crossword is a word puzzle that usually takes the form of a square or a rectangular grid of white- and black-shaded squares. The goal is to fill the white squares with letters, forming words or phrases, by solving clues which lead to the answ ...

s for Dummies'', was produced in the late 1990s. The game is similar to ''

Scrabble ''Scrabble'' is a word game in which two to four players score points by placing tiles, each bearing a single letter, onto a game board divided into a 15×15 grid of squares. The tiles must form words that, in crossword fashion, read left t ...

'', 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 in

SAT The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schol ...

preparation. A ''

for Dummies'' was 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 publisher

Anuman Interactive Microids (formerly Microïds) is a French video game developer and publisher based in Paris. Founded in 1985 by Elliot Grassiano, it attained early success with games published through Loriciel in France and other partners (including Activision ...

obtained the digital exploitation rights and launched many applications based on the ''For Dummies'' collection, such as ''Home Design 3D For Dummies'' and ''History For Dummies''.

Authors

With more than 200 million books in print and around 2,500 titles, ''For Dummies'' brings together a bevy of authors including

Herman Aguinis Herman Aguinis (born 1966) is a researcher and business professor and author. He is the Avram Tucker Distinguished Scholar and Professor of Management at the George Washington University School of Business in Washington, D.C. He has been ranked a ...

, Karl Barksdale, Michael Taillard,

Michael DeMers Michael N. DeMers is a geographer and Professor Emeritus of geography at New Mexico State University. Education and field DeMers earned his Ph.D. in geography from the University of Kansas in 1985 and has taught geography and courses related to ...

, Andy Rathbone, Wayne Baker Brooks, Patrick Joseph McGovern, Loren Weisman, Mark Kellner, Mary Jane Sterling, Mark Ryan and Stephen P. Maran.

References

External links

* *
Titles and Description of all ''For Dummies'' titles
{{Authority control Handbooks and manuals Series of books 2001 mergers and acquisitions Book series introduced in 1991 Study guides

History

Expansions and alternative versions

Authors

See also

References

External links