This book is not as big and beefy as some of the 800+ page books I have been reviewing, and I consider that a good thing! This book is nothing but tips, so you don't have to wade through long tutorials or read about the theory of vectors to get what you want.

Since it is only tips, you need to know at least the basics of using Illustrator to put the information to work.

These are great tips. Some, I never expected, such as how to grab the "Twist" tool from your copy of Illustrator 10 and import it into Illustrator CS. It seems that in their infinite wisdom, Adobe developers decided to remove it from the Tool Palette in CS and make it a pull down menu where you have to enter a numerical value. Many of us prefer to chose the tool from the palette and apply the twist or twirl visually, rather than have to guess what numerical value will give the results we want.

There are wonderful tips on editing PDF files, how to make a fraction, put type on a circle, rotate individual characters, create evenly spaced tabs, create colored text and text boxes, switch between Type and Selection Tools quickly, reveal hidden objects in your drawing, and more.

I particularly liked the tip on how to smooth lines you are drawing by holding down the Option key as you draw. And, as someone who prefers keyboard commands, I appreciated the section at the front that tells you how to customize your own, as well as the hidden keyboard commands discussed at the end of the book. And, the section on making customized Arrowheads comes in handy.

Until I read this, I had no idea there was a Symbolism chooser. (Hold Command + Option as you click and hold on any Symbolism tool and a Chooser pops up with all the choices.)

And who knew you could get Illustrator to calculate complex transformations for you? Say you want to create a box that is exactly 3 inches square and apply a 12 point stroke. Illustrator applies the stroke to the center of the line, giving you 6 points outside the line on each side. In the Transform palette, you can tell it to make the box 3 inches minus 12 points, so your box will end up exactly 3 inches square, including the stroke. There are two tips on page 74 that explain it well.

If you already know how to do basic Illustrator tasks, or even if you are an advanced user, this book holds lots of little gems for you.

I am an experienced Illustrator user, but still discovered numerous items in this book that will save a lot of time on future projects. Definitely wish I had this book earlier. This is a "Tips 'n Tricks" style book. Shows many unique and powerful uses for Illustrator capabilities along with shortcuts that eliminate tedious steps. Logically organized, clearly illustrated, and produced with top quality materials.

I have "dabbled" in Ilustrator since version 6. My main app is Photoshop but I jump into Illustrator every now and then and get my work done, but always wonder if there isn't an easier - or quicker way. That's what I like about this book. Just tips to help me get things done more quickly. Not every tip was useful right now, but I know I'll be refering to this book a lot. Even the so-called "basic" tips included a few things I didn't know.
Well done, lots of useful tips that "cut to the chase!"

First, don't be thrown off by the cover picture - the actual one is slightly different. I bought a copy at the Mac Design conference and the design is different. Also, it's written by Dave Cross, not Dave and Felix Nelson. (I mention this since some people seem put off when the details on amazon don't match up with the actual book)
Apart from that, I am extremely happy with this book. I use Illustrator every day and this is what I was looking for! There are no lessons, no tutorials, just tips that help me work faster. Not every tip was brand new to me, but there were quite a few reminders of things I probably knew at some time. (that in itself was very useful) There were several tricks and shortcuts that will save me a TON of time and those alone make the book worthwhile. There's some pretty nice artwork mixed in to illustrate the tips.
Overall, highly recommended, for all levels of Illustrator user. Don't buy this if you're looking for a book to teach you Illustrator CS. Buy it if you already know the program and want to take your skill to another level.