J-Walk & Associates, Inc.

Greg Likes The Book

Yet another unsolicited bit of fan mail:

Just a quick note to tell you how impressed I have been, for a very long time, with your Excel books. I bought one several years ago (maybe Excel Power Programming With VBA?) and, at the time, it put me ahead of all of my colleagues in terms of practical, ready to use knowledge about MS Excel.

Skip forward at least a decade and I had a current need to update my ss skills and went to Barnes & Noble to get some up-to-date resource technical materials. As I was scanning the available materials, my wife said "how can you ever manage to figure out which Excel book to pick?" At that moment in my scanning, I saw just "Walkenbach" and I pulled it out and replied "Right here, this guy is an Excel genius. I recall reading one of his earlier Excel books and it was just incredible." I think she thought I was kidding.

Well, I took Excel 2007 Bible home over the weekend and cracked it open this morning to get up to speed on charts. I wrapped up the 'Getting Started Making Charts' intro on charts and am just part way into 'Learning Advanced Charting' and I am very impressed! Your exceptionally clear writing style, focus on how to do the task at hand, easy transition from introductory to advanced materials are all just top-of-the-line.

So, I thank you, man, for putting out such a truly great product and I wish you the very best. I can't say enough good stuff!

Wishing you the best,
Greg S., NY

I'm glad you like it, Greg.

- Reader Comments -

Following are comments in response to this item.
The most recent comment is at the bottom.

1. By Jeff Weir. Comment posted 19 February, 2010 7:07pm

   Must say that when I purchase a book on say Sql Server, then I'm often muttering to myself within minutes that the Author is "no Walkenbach"
2. By Phil. Comment posted 01 April, 2010 12:22pm

   I think it's that you go from the most general to the more specific, instead of just a sequence of specific topics.
   
   Your books have been tremendously helpful in my job. I just bought all the 2007 books.
3. By John, London. Comment posted 12 June, 2010 1:17pm

   Dear John W
   
   Thanks so much for such a helpful, informative and brilliantly readable site. You have a 100% user-focused perspective. Also an innate ability to suss out what users actually want.
   
   Like supermarkets hiding milk, a certain arrogant autistic company has decided to scramble Excel's features. I've tried to re-orient myself using
   
   http://office.microsoft.com/en-gb/excel-help/up-to-speed-with-excel-2007-RZ010062103.aspx?section=27
   
   It sought feedback. It got:
   
   "Start from what the user wants and not from what you have unilaterally decided to provide.
   
   Provide a 1-1 mapping FROM what the user wants and where they expect to find it within your old and logical 2003 schema, TO the dog's breakfast that you have now created... Skip all the sales puffery about how wonderful all your unwanted changes have been. Where are the old toolbars? Where is the drawing toolbar? How can a dotted line be coloured red? It's not in Insert shapes...if it ain't broke, DON'T FIX IT."