Personally, I would have to agree. Jack is one of the best writers in regards to Photoshop materials. However, the material typically covered in the WOW book, is what I refer to as the 'fluffy' side of Photoshop. The WOW series is a good series of books to get because the exercises contained are fun, and you'll be more likely to stick with finishing them and therefore learn more about the program. Plus, the book comes with a CD that contains not only the program files but quite a few extras that can be used in a wide array of practical situations. But do yourself a favor, if you get the book, also get Adobe Photoshop Studio Techniques by Ben Willmore. His books, while not covering the snazzy special effects and whatnot, cover the truly practical effects that one would be most likely to use should they get an actual job using the program. Remember, just because you can make a flaming logo does not mean that you know the program...if you can correct an image's color balance, fix flaws, and make the final product look like something that HASN'T been touched by Photoshop, that's when you can say you understand the program. Ben's book will help you do this. Retrocity, back me up on this, huh?