Mac OS X is quickly winning back the ground Apple lost in the 1990s, with its Unix underpinnings (bulletproof and versatile) and its graphical user interface (the best on the market by far). Mac OS X Killer Tips is like its subject in that it"s both stylish and rich in features. In fact, almost all the fat that typically pads books about software has been pared away, leaving only the material that would populate the sidebars and icon-tagged tips in a traditional book. The tips, carefully laid out with full-color illustrations, make interesting reading regardless of whether you"re skimming, reading straight through, or using the index to locate tips that are relevant to a particular part of Mac OS X. A typical tip is about 200 words in length--about as long as this capsule review--and gets straight to the point about some detail of Mac OS X (some tips document features that are less well known than others). Sometimes, the fact being revealed is nothing more than a keyboard shortcut (such as the one for putting a machine to sleep quickly). Other tips cover more involved procedures (the one for bringing back the Trash can--missing by default from the Mac OS X desktop--is an example). Scott Kelby knows his Mac--he edits a Mac magazine--and though there could be more about the Unix side of things, you"re sure to learn a new trick from the several hundred nuggets of knowledge he"s packed into this book. --David Wall Topics covered: How to get the most out of Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther). Tips explain little-known features of iLife, iTunes, Sherlock, and the Mac OS X core software.