Many, if not all of you, are familiar with or use Articulate software for eLearning development. In my opinion, their tools are currently unequaled in the industry for rapid creation of top-notch eLearning. For reasons unexplained, my boss is annoyed that Articulate seems to be “the answer to every question” at present, but the reason our customers always ask for Articulate is because the published products are so good. It’s hard to find a more convincing endorsement than that.

I’ve been an enthusiastic Articulate user for several years now. In fact, I was the first in my organization (100,000+ employees) to discover and acquire Articulate – not a painless process. Once people started to see the courses and presentations I was creating with Articulate, word started to get around. Now we have many Articulate users, with more getting on board seemingly every day – not just trainers, but communicators and technical analysts as well. I should be getting a sales commission from the company. But I digress.

Being the de facto “Articulate Guru” for my organization, I frequently field questions from developers in other departments. One of the first questions I’m always asked is “How do I learn this software?” I’ve always pointed them to Articulate’s own documentation, as well as the excellent online community and Tom Kuhlman’s equally-excellent blog.

Some users want (and need) more, and it’s finally arrived: in Patti Shank (a familiar name in eLearning circles) and Jennifer Bircher’s new book, Essential Articulate Studio ‘09. The book is massive at almost 1,000 pages, and those pages are filled with clear, helpful instruction and a huge collection of screenshots. If you’re new to Articulate, or a still-uncomfortable long-time user, this book may be just what you need.

Technical books tend to be either very good or very bad, and I’d rate this one as very good. The layout is logical and the writing style is neither mind-numbingly heavy nor irritatingly light. (I love comedy as much as the next guy, but slapstick technical books just ain’t my thing.) The annotated screenshots are very helpful, as are the clearly-designated tips and notes sprinkled throughout.

The book also comes with a companion CD, which includes trial versions of Articulate software, Articulate’s own documentation and links to the Articulate website. One might ask what’s the point (I certainly do), as you can get all of that information directly from Articulate’s website (and be assured the most recent versions when you do), but the CD is there anyway – for eventual deposit in your local landfill (where it can be discovered by archaeologists 10,000 years from now). The book, however, is a keeper. And at under 30 bucks, a no-brainer.

Buy it from Amazon via my link and I’ll probably get a nickel back or something. If only 10 million of you order it, I can quit my soul-crushing job and start my own eLearning development studio!

So you go ahead and order, and I’ll start packing up my desk and drafting my letter of resignation…