Customer Reviews
The best guide available. 
2007-03-27
These authors have the credentials to and have written a superb handbook, especially for the genealogy "newbies". Even the experienced family historian will here find MUCH help. Paul Drake JD
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Genealogy 
2007-03-23
As a newbie to genealogy, I find this to be a very helpful book. It points you in the directions that you should go and gives a lot of ideas that I would not have thought of.
Great Guide 2007-01-14
This is a great book for beginners and experienced researchers. I recommend it to my students.
Maria (Ree) Hopper, CG
updated tripe 
2006-08-07
This edition of the book is more up-to-date, so it's actually useful somewhat. Mostly, though, it's a book written by experts for experts. There is little thought given to the practical application of genealogy -- making friends with newly found relatives, for example, and family reunions. There is no mention of the politics that go into genealogy. You can easily destroy your family by writing the wrong date for a marriage on your descendant chart, but the book totally omits important facts like that! It has a small chapter on DNA, which is nice, but it leaves out critical information on that topic, too. The "Idiot's" title of this book is misleading; the authors fail to think like a layman. Beware.
I Needed a Complete Idiots Guide to Online Genealogy! 2006-08-02
Christine Rose's "The Complete Idiots's Guide to Online Genealogy" made me finally move from, "I am going to do a genealogic study of my father's family", to "I have been working on this project for two years, and am truly enjoying the experience".
The book is well organized, and easy to read and understand. I have in the past 5 years developed a memory problem that will not get better. I had become so afraid failure, I did not want to attempt learning something new again. I used "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Computers" years ago, and found it a great way to quickly ground myself in the basics. When I saw Ms. Rose's book, I knew it was my best opportunity.
I now have numerous books concerning genealogy, but "Idiot's" is dog earred and still the first book on the shelf. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to learn family history and genealogy and how to put together a family tree. Especially those who do not have the inside lingo.
Shari Peavy
An informative reference for discovering the genealogical history of one's family 2006-04-04
This user-friendly volume offers readers an opportunity to understand the craft of genealogy, explore their roots, perform online research, and begin to discover their true identities. Includes new information on the release of the 1930 census, the pros and cons of online research, and creating family trees.
Fast and Easy 2003-11-21
If you are a beginner and don't know where to start, start here! This is an easy to use and easy to understand reference. It's great!
Excelent! 2002-08-31
This book is great. It has helped me trace my ancestry back more than ten generations and to four different countries. I recommend this book to any new or experienced genealogists!
Wonderful Book 2001-05-16
This is a wonderful book. It is very helpful and knowledgeable tool. It was very helpful for beginners like me. It provides definitions for words you may come across in your searches, "Pedigree Pitfalls" which are tips on how to avoid setbacks in your researching. Christine Rose and Kay Germain Ingalls are very knowledgeable and very experienced professional genealogists who instead of providing facts and info on genealogy, provided you with examples and experiences they had encountered. They provide their own opinion on how to best search for your information. They also expressed the need to cite your sources. I gave this book 5 stars because itr is a wonderful and fully enjoyable research tool.
Great in all the right ways! 2000-11-23
A very helpful genealogy reference for the beginner. Especially helpful if you're in the "I want to trace my roots. How do I begin, where do I start, and how do I go about doing it?" situation.
Contains a lot of helpful common sense tips that will prevent future headaches. A lot of well thought out suggestions and tips too.
I especially like how when they suggest you talk to your extended family and interview them for genealogy information that you be patient with them and let them tell their stories. A lot of well-mannered tips like these are what elevate this book to excellence.
A lot of the confusing aspects of genealogical research such as document requests and providing proof and evidence are well covered.
I highly recommend this book for the beginner to intermediate level genealogist.
