Ellen Finklestein vs. George Omura.

[Cadastrophic]

I have "Mastering AutoCAD 2000" and "Mastering AutoCAD 2004 and AutoCAD LT 2004" by George Omura (and I can highly recommend them ...for what that's worth).
I was lead to believe G.O. was the AutoCAD guru, but there's been some talk on here recently about Ellen Finklestein's AutoCAD Bible. Perhaps E.F. has now taken that crown.
How do her works compare with those of G.O.?

[CADTutor]

Good question. I must admit that I learned AutoCAD with George Omura. For a long time, his "Mastering AutoCAD Release 10" was glued to my desk. Sadly, I no longer have it but I do still have a copy of his "ABC's of AutoLISP", the book I used to learn the language and the one I still use as a reference. After that I upgraded to "Inside AutoCAD 14" by Bill Burchard, David Pitzer and our own Michael E Beall. I still have this book and often refer to it when we get queries relating to earlier versions of AutoCAD. Of course, all of this was before Ellen Finklestein's book was published.

When her book was first published, I found it quite refreshing. Written from the ground up for AutoCAD 2000 (I think), it didn't have all of the baggage that other books had from being upgraded from previous versions. As a teacher, I always recommend the AutoCAD Bible because it has a very logical structure and an uncomplicated approach. Beginners seem to get on with it better than with other titles.

It may not be the best book for seasoned users who already have a good understanding of the basics. For those, the "Mastering" and "Inside" books may be a better reference.

In the end it comes down to what you need. I don't believe one is necessarily better than the other, they're just different.

[arkiedmund]

I have G.O.'s mastering AutoCAD 2002 and Mastering Autodesk VIZ4 books, and i find it very educational, I especially bought the VIZ book since I am trying to learn how to use the software.

His explanations are simple and easy to understand. I cannot compare it to the other author as I have yet to read a copy of ellen's book.