The new generation of books on writing computer user documentation

Eight new books on the topic of computer user documentation were published in late 1984 and the first half of 1985. Because ten books preceded these in the last nine years [1], these new books should not be considered in isolation. Ideally, successive books in a profession should build and improve upon earlier books. Thus, I will recommend only those new books that are either better than the books that have appeared previously or that offer something new and important. Comparison of these books, old and new, presents an opportunity to consider the qualities that would constitute a perfect book on computer user documentation and to judge which of those available come closest to the mark.