Learning GNU Emacs, 3rd Edition

An Approach to Learning Emacs

This book is designed to get you started with Emacs as quickly as possible, whether you are an experienced computer user or a novice. The first two chapters give you the basics you need to know, and the rest of the book builds on these basics. After the first two chapters, you don't have to read the rest consecutively; you can skip to the topics that interest you. Additionally, the book is designed to give you just the level of hand-holding you want; you can either read the book in detail or skim it, looking for tables of commands and examples.

Here are some reading paths you could take:

If	Read
You are a casual user	Preface, Chapter 1-Chapter 3, Chapter 14
You are a programmer or system administrator	Preface, Chapter 1-Chapter 5, Chapter 9-Chapter 12
You are a writer or production person	Preface, Chapter 1-Chapter 3, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 14
You want to customize Emacs	Chapter 10 and possibly Chapter 11
You write HTML or XML	Preface, Chapter 1 - Chapter 3, Chapter 8
You want to use operating system commands in Emacs	Chapter 5
You use Emacs on Windows or Mac OS X	Chapter 13

These reading paths are offered only as a guideline. Emacs is one gigantic, functionally rich editor. We've divided it up into digestible bites for you, so you don't have to be put off by its size and scope. The best way to learn Emacs is incrementally; learn a little now, then learn more features as you get curious about them. If you need to do something ...