I used this textbook for my Intro GIS course in undergrad. I usually rent my textbooks, but could not find a place to rent this edition so I "had to" buy it. And I am SO glad that I did. This spiral-bound book feels more like a workbook than a real hard-bound textbook; it was therefore inviting and much less guilt-inducing to highlight text, dog-ear pages, etc. I went back and referred to this textbook for the two GIS courses I took after Intro. And if I hadn't lost my copy (sob-sob) I'd still love to refer to it at my current job. Seriously, even if you're not taking a proper GIS course, this is a strong, broad, all-encompassing resource if you're teaching yourself or if you're a professional who needs reminders/refreshers.The book exercises are incredibly thorough and guide you through every step and dialogue box in the goliath, sometimes intimidating program that is ArcGIS. I rarely had to ask my instructor for clarification. Later in the course, I found the exercises to be too hand-holdy, but that actually gave me a sense of pride knowing that I had learned enough to skip steps!