Getting the Most Out of RootsMagic 9

As advertised

I truly want to give this book a great rating, as I believe the author is gifted and very knowledgeable on the topic. Alas, maybe I will on a future version.This book may be helpful for those who have the eyes of an eagle, but I can't read this book.The many images are color-screen-captures, which are then shrunken and printed in black & white, so they come out as grey (tiny pixelated, faded) characters. More specifically, half of the text is an OK font size, but with the wrong font selection (little ink used and not good contrast), so hard on the eyes, and the other half is images that give you a headache to try to read; I'd guess a faded-ink font size of approximately 3.5 pitch in those images.It may not have been the intent of the author for readers to actually read the screens, but why then so many such images? I need them, so I can follow along.I am sure the book will be of good use to those with a child's young eyes,... just not to me.I know there must be a good explanation for this fumble, and I will hope for a revision that corrects this problem. I DO plan on being a loyal customer going forward, but please, improve the next printing.

When I switched my 'family tree' over to Roots Magic I was referred to this 'manual' to go with it. I kept reading reviews that the print was too light to read. So I was skeptical. Once I received the book, I agree with others that the print is lighter than most, but still very readable. The only drawback is that the book is bound so tightly to the spline, than it's very hard to keep the book open to the spot you need to read. I removed the entire spline (just heat it up with a hair dryer) and punched all the pages into a notebook. So easy! Now I can flip through the book and keep it open while I read. And by the way, the content of the book is excellent! Very well written and goes into detail for all the features of the software.

I have very mixed feelings about this book, but on balance, think it is worth buying.Like the books written by Bruce Buzbee for older versions of RootsMagic, "Getting the Most Out of RootsMagic 9" is chock-full of clearly written explanations of its namesake genealogy software. Every feature is described, and every "How do I..." question is answered in enough detail for a person to use the software in the way it was intended to be used.The table of contents and index are good enough that the reader can find most topics quickly. The book even includes twenty pages of appendices for the technically minded.In his introduction, the author writes, "This book is not intended to be a software manual." That's far too modest. In terms of content, the book is an excellent example of how to do a software manual right. As someone who finds written manuals much easier to work with than online documentation, I consider this book an indispensable companion to RootsMagic 9.However, my copy, printed in March 2023, is difficult to read for two main reasons. The book lacks "book design," that is, legible headings, clear screenshots and numbered chapters. Also, the choice of typeface for most text is not suited to books, so it comes across as "light printing" and is difficult for the eye to adjust to. The book was obviously not formatted well for Amazon's black-and-white print-on-demand production. There is much room for improvement in future revisions.

The book is good but hard to read because the ink IS SO LIGHT YOU CAN'T SEE IT THAT WELL". And one review stated they use cheap paper which they do. Both reasons are why the book is cheaper than I thought it would be, but I would rather pay more to have DARKER INK SO IT WOULDN'T BE HARD TO READ.....

I have not been able to get as far into this book as I would like (time! where does it go!), but so far it is a well written guide to using the RootsMagic program and I am enjoying it. I would definitely recommend it for others looking to use RootsMagic.Why use a separate, on your computer program when there are others on the internet, some even no or low cost? Because if you have used them you have found and unfortunate error rate in then that is a pain to get corrected. So, I use RootsMagic in or to secure my research and when I know its correct, I upload from it. Save much in frustration.

Great companion book for the program

Seems to be a duplicate of RM9's online help, except the printing on the illustrations is so light that you can't see what Bruce is referring to when he writes his "chapters" which also printed too light to read. Bruce is obviously a heck of a software writer, but he should have shopped for an editor for this book. For example, to learn about merging duplicates, the index says for "merging" go to "79," Page 79 says "highlight one of the duplicates on the 'Main Screen', "then click the 'Tools' button on the toolbar. Hmm, what is a "toolbar" Nothing in the index about that. How about "mainscreen" -- what's that.? Nothing in the index. After you work through a bunch of options, you'll realize what the main screen is and start looking for the "Tools" button--there it is on the left verticle toolbar. Nope--not there! After a bunch of wasted time, you WILL figure it out. Bruce is obviously one of those guys that knows his program like the palm of his hand, but since a new reader is trying to get to that same leverl of expertise, reading this book is not the way to do. Use the $20 to buy four or five coffees, put you mind in "puzzle gear" and just start trying your best. If I had to do it again, I'd not buy this book and stay with online helpDouglas

I like having a hard copy of the manual to work with. It has a very useful and inclusive index. Some of the printing is a bit uneven and the print itself is rather small. Other than that, it's well done and arrived quickly and in good condition.

What better book can you get than from the developer of Roots Magic, Bruce Buzbee, this is a very powerful program for Genealogists, no matter how long you have been using it, or previous versions, there is always something you might need to clarify or they have up-graded.I fully recommend this book to both Novice and experience researchers , worth every penny/cent.

Poor quality. Print very faint and image to small, which I had never bothered.

I have just received this book. So, I haven't used it in depth at the moment, so I can only comment on how I found it initially.It seems well set out. It is written in easy-to-understand language, gives clear instructions, and has many diagrams to support the explanations and text. I did not find it confusing, and it supports the YouTube videos that Roots Magic recently added for Roots Magic 9.I originally purchased Roots Magic 7, and Roots Magic 9 is very different. There are many new fields and aspects to the more recent version. I like a physical book rather than an online link to refer to when I need to work things out. So, for me, this book suits my needs. I am happy to give this book five stars as it appears very thorough.I notice that some people are unhappy about the book's print quality. I think it is okay. I have no problem reading the book. The diagrams are pale, but they are only for reference. The text accompanying an image is easily understood and gives a clear explanation. The actual Roots Magic 9 program allows me to see the detail I need to complete the task I have been working on.

Print is too small, especially in tables and screen shots, and to small. Need magnifying glass to read. What I could read was very informative. Hopefully they will print the book again and be more careful in submitting proof and choosing the printer