This 350-page book serves as an excellent introduction for anyone just getting started in researching a family tree. Clifford assumes that the reader owns a computer and already has used the Internet a bit. The book focuses on how to do genealogy, not how to use the Internet. The book trains the reader in the fundamentals of genealogical research while using modern tools, such as computers and Web sites.

Karen Clifford is an Accredited Genealogist and is an instructor in genealogy and computer classes at Monterey Peninsula College, California. Her educational background is evident in this book; each chapter of the book is a self-contained teaching module. The chapters include:

• Principles of Success for the Family Historian
• Organizing Family Information
• Becoming Acquainted with Your Genealogy Program
• Why Document?
• Printing Your Records
• Your Family History Notebook
• Developing A Sense of Our Ancestors’ Environment
• Resolving Conflict
• State Vital Record Offices, Public Libraries, Courthouses and Local Repositories
• Resources of the Family History Library
• Major Databases of the Family History Library
• Using Local Family History Centers
• National Archives and Regional Records Services Facilities
• Census Records Between 1850-1920
• Analysis and Goal Setting
• Sharing Your Family History research

The book ends with a large number of genealogy forms that may be photocopied and used again and again, and then a large index.

The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Genealogy, the Internet, and Your Genealogy Computer Program is written in an almost conversational style. I found it easy to read, and yet the data contained within it is excellent. The book also has many pictures, drawings, and even cartoons used to illustrate key points.

The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Genealogy, the Internet, and Your Genealogy Computer Program by Karen Clifford, published by Genealogical Publishing Company, sells for $24.95. Almost any bookstore can order it for you if you specify ISBN #0806316365.