TeX FAQ - U.K. TeX Users Group
- A 45 page double-column document containing 119 frequently asked
questions with answers. This was last updated on 8/98.
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- A 90 page beginner's guide to using basic TeX (i.e. no LaTeX) which presumes
no prior knowledge of the beast. It begins by describing what TeX is
and what it can do and then moves slowly and carefully through all
the phases of creating a TeX document.
Separate sections cover characters, paragraphs and pages, groups,
math, tabbing and aligning, macros, error recovery, and a brief
description of the more popular macro packages (e.g. LaTeX).
This is available in plain TeX (gentle.tex) format
and can be processed with a basic TeX installation. It was last
updated in Nov. 1993.
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TeX Made
Easy - Daniel Zirin
- A 122 page set of course notes that constitute a
beginner's guide to using TeX with the plain
macro package.
This covers basic TeX and how to get started, text processing,
math and display modes, alignment and tables, and miscellaneous
other topics.
The course was developed in 1987 to spin up graduate students,
secretaries and professors from ground zero to reasonable
facility in TeX over five days.
This is a bit old but nonetheless useful.
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TeX
Cookbook
- A 12 page set of tables full of examples showing how to create various
special mathematical and other typographical symbols.
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An Introduction to
TeX and Friends - Gavin Maltby
- A 75 page document with sections on getting acquainted with
TeX, getting started with LaTeX, and mathematical typesetting
with LaTeX. This is somewhat dated as the last version appeared
in Nov. 1992, but it is still very useful as an overview and
for basic LaTeX commands that haven't changed much with the
introduction of LaTeX2e.
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- A 17 page document which aims to provide all of the essential
information needed to use LaTeX. It covers only the very basic features
needed for any document such as the standard available document
styles, type styles, special symbols, and some error recovery
information. The is available in LaTeX format
(essential.tex) and requires the style file
hndout.sty (available in the same directory)
for processing. It was last updated in Sept. 1992 so only
covers the pre-LaTeX2e version.
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- A 71 page reasonably complete guide on how to use
LaTeX. It consists of chapters describing the basic structure
of LaTeX2e documents and the history of LaTeX, the essential
commands needed for every document, typesetting mathematical
formulas, and adding graphics and creating indexes.
If you're not going to do anything fancy this should be sufficient
as your only LaTeX manual. This is available in
PostScript (lshort2e.600.ps), DVI
(lshort2e.dvi), and
PDF (lshort2e.pdf) formats.
It was last updated in Oct. 1997.
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University of Cambridge LaTeX
Documentation
- Online HTML versions of these are available as well as
printable PostScript versions.
- A 6 page document containing the basic information needed to
create a LaTeX source file and process it for printing.
This is for utter beginners.
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- A 23 page document describing more advanced LaTeX features including
document structure, color and fonts, environments, and
customization.
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- A 16 page document detailing how to typeset equations and add
graphics to LaTeX documents.
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LaTeX: The Macro Package for
TeX - Leslie Lamport
- LaTeX documentation in Texinfo format that is distributed as part
of GNU Emacs.
This 50+ page document consists of an overview and local guide,
an annotated list of commands, and an annotated list of parameters.
There are separate versions for old LaTeX and for LaTeX2e.
Old LaTeX: [ Texinfo /
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LaTeX2e: [ Texinfo /
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- A 14 page guide to software that can be used to create graphics to embed
in LaTeX documents. This covers how to embed graphics created with the
EEPIC, xfig, and MusicTeX packages and
with the PostScript language. It doesn't get too deeply into any
of the packages although brief examples are given for each.
This is available in PostScript (figsinltx.ps) format
and was last updated in July 1994.
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A Guide to Using Macros and
Style Files in LaTeX - T. Iwakuma and T. Furukawa
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- A 52 page guide to the whys and hows of style files and macros.
This discusses why style files are used, how they can be created
or modified, how mathematics are typeset, the use of figures,
creating bibliographies, fonts, and various other programming
aspects.
This was written in 1994 and covers the old LaTeX but is
still useful.
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- An 86 page overview of how to use and embed graphics, mostly
PostScript, in documents processed with LaTeX2e.
It is divided into four parts: (1) a brief history and overview
of LaTeX, PostScript, and Encapsulated PostScript (EPS);
(2) a description of the commands in the basic LaTeX graphics
bundle which allow you to import, scale, and rotate graphics;
(3) a tutorial on the use of the commands in the basic LaTeX
graphics bundle along with instructions on how to embed
non-PostScript files, replace text in EPS files with LaTeX
symbols, and save space when using the same EPS file several
times in one document; and
(4) how to use and customize the floating figure environment.
This is a good supplement to the information contained in the
LaTeX Companion book, expanding on some of the briefer explanations
therein and offering many more examples.
The file is available in either a PostScript (epslatex.ps)
or PDF (epslatex.pdf) format. The most recent
version is dated Dec. 1997.
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- A brief introduction to METAFONT and some of the pitfalls
frequently encountered when using it. This starts by describing
what METAFONT is and what it can be used for. It then gives
several examples of how to invoke and use it, and concludes
by discussing some limitations and how to avoid some common
errors. This is available in old LaTeX format
(metafont-for-beginners.tex) and can be processed
with any version of LaTeX. It was last updated in July 1994.
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