Complete Idiot's Guides
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The Complete Idiot's Guides ("The Idiot's Guide to ..." series) is a product line of how-to and other reference books published by Dorling Kindersley (DK). The books in this series provide a basic understanding of a complex and popular topics. The term "idiot" is used as hyperbole, to reassure readers that the guides will be basic and comprehensible, even if the topics seem intimidating. The approach relies on explaining a topic step-by-step, using basic terminology, definitions of words, and profiles of people.
The first Complete Idiot's Guides were published in 1993 on technical subjects, namely DOS and PCs. They have since expanded into a wide range of topics such as time management, learning languages such as Spanish, public speaking, and feng shui. Circa 2000, there were approximately 3 million Complete Idiot's Guides sold per year.[1]
Alpha Books, publisher of the Complete Idiot's Guides, is a member of Penguin Group. It began as a division of Macmillan. Pearson Education acquired Macmillan General Reference (MGR) from Simon & Schuster in 1998 and retained the line while the rest of MGR was sold to IDG Books.[2] Alpha moved from Pearson Education to Penguin Group in 2003. Alpha became part of sister company DK in 2012, and relaunched the Complete Idiot's Guide series under the name "Idiot's Guide" in 2013.[3]
Notable authors of Complete Idiot's Guides include Cory Doctorow, Thomas David Jones, Steven D. Strauss, Sheila Lowe, Taylor Mason, John Kenrick, Roshumba Williams, and Frank Sargeant.
The line parallels the For Dummies books. The editorial offices for the two competing series are both located partially in Indianapolis.
See also
[edit]
- For Dummies – a similar series of how-to books from John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
- Découvertes Gallimard, a similar series in French of introductory books, noted for its fine illustration. Some titles are translated in other languages.
- FabJob – a similar series of how-to-books for starting a business or dream career
- Teach Yourself – another similar series published by Hodder Headline
- Very Short Introductions, a similar series of introductory books published by the Oxford University Press.
References
[edit]- ^ Dickinson, Joy (24 August 2000). "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Dummies". News on 6. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ Milliot, Jim; Baker, John F. (5 July 1999). "IDG Books Buys Macmillan General Reference". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
- ^ Farrington, Joshua (28 August 2013). "Dorling Kindersley relaunches Idiot's Guide series". The Bookseller. Archived from the original on 19 June 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2025.