content: This book is a good reference but not for those who are not proficient already in MAX. As others have stated, the examples often skip steps, assume knowledge of the workings of the program and show "this is what you should end up with" pictures that don't relate at all to what the instructions give. I get the impression also that each chapter was written by a different person because they cover material that has sometimes been discussed or later chapters cover basic material that was left out at the beginning. If you are beginner, don't buy this.