Tony Stevensons book, The Australian Guide To the Internet, provides an excellent introduction to the absorbing world of the Internet. For novice Internet users, this book offers all the necessary info and advice to get started and become an active member of the Web community. For users already familiar with the Internet, this book presents a wealth of handy advice aimed at making your time spent on the Internet as rewarding as possible.

The opening chapter of the book provides a concise history of the origins of the Internet and the Web and is followed by comprehensive advice on how to go about getting connected to the Internet. The second part of the book covers topics like browsing, email, newsgroups, mailing lists, chatting online and videoconferencing in depth.

If you are not sure if you are searching the Internet to its maximum potential, then turn to the chapters on searching and downloading. In this section youll find a whos who list of search engines, discussions on search engines versus directories and tips on downloading files.

Part five of this book covers the questions you need to consider in building a Web site through to the tasks involved in managing it on a day-to-day basis. The final section of the book deals with net security, from protecting your computer from net viruses to protecting yourself and your kids from net nasties.
One of the things I appreciated in this book was Stevensons realistic approach to the subject matter. The glamour associated with the Internet was absent leaving you with a down-to-earth view of what can be achieved on the net. The Australian Guide to the Internet has all you need to know about the Internet from the grass roots beginning through to being a proficient user of the technology.