'Scanners For Dummies' was shockingly empty of helpful content. I was looking for useful advice and helpful tips for archiving photos, practical tips for best scanner settings and insights about how to deal with less than perfect images. This book had little information of relevance and nothing of depth.

I must own a dozen 'Dummies' books, and this is by far the least instructive and practical.

That said, who would benefit from reading the book?
- An absolute beginner who needs encouragement to start exploring scanner settings.
- A scavenger who wants a full chapter on how to connect a SCSI scanner that he/she obtained for free on Craigslist.
- Someone who wants instruction on Paint Shop Pro and not Adobe photo applications.
- Users who have no interest in retouching or restoring older photos.

The author, it seemed to me, had little interest or experience in scanning, retouching and restoring older images. To be more specific, the Histogram setting is not even mentioned and the info on adjusting Highlights, Shadows and Gamma settings is so superficial as to be of little or no help. However, the author does excel when discussing hardware issues.

I have since read and recommend as vastly superior 'How To Do Everything With Your Scanner.' Even 'Digital Photography For Dummies' has more detailed and practical help for scanning and restoring damaged photos.

If you buy this book for under $1, you are doing OK. But, if you want detailed and practical advice for scanning and improving photos, look elsewhere.