Grätzer's book provides the beginner with a simple, direct approach. Using numerous examples, a formula gallery, sample files, and templates, a short course, Part I, guides the reader through typing text, math formulas, equations, and an article template making it possible to start typing an article with only a few hours time. The rest of this book provides systematic discussion of all aspects of LaTeX and the AMS packages, customization, and introduces two major tools to help compile long bibliographies and indexes.