Keywords
Citation
Cleyle, S. (2001), "The Extreme Searcher’s Guide to Web Search Engines: A Handbook for the Serious Searcher", The Electronic Library, Vol. 19 No. 1, pp. 49-53. https://doi.org/10.1108/el.2001.19.1.49.2
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
The author explains in the Introduction: “To be an extreme searcher requires neither extensive training or extraordinary skill. What it does require is an understanding of the terrain and the equipment” (p.xvii). To that end, the author outlines the goals of this book. They are to facilitate learning of search engines; become acquainted with engine differences; understand the weaknesses and strengths of specific search engines and to pick up some practical searching tips (p. xviii). The author achieves his goals very well, by providing a solid, practical handbook for searchers of all degrees.
It consists of 12 chapters. Chapter 1 talks about Search Engines in General. In language that is easy to understand, the author explains how search engines work, what to expect and what subject matter they cover, relevance ranking and advanced search options. It is a very useful chapter.
The next eight chapters are dedicated to reviewing specific search engines including: AltaVista,Excite, HotBot, InfoSeek, Lycos, Northernlight, WebCrawler, Yahoo!. Each search engine is reviewed in the following areas: Overview, What happens behind the scenes, Search Features, Output, Special Options, Add‐ons, WebCrawler’s Directory, Summary of the search engine. These chapters are full of practical screen captures and diagrams. The author is frank about each search engine and explains the benefits and limitations for basic and advanced searches. A “thumbs‐up” icon appears next to features that are useful and “thumbs‐down” for those that are not. The beginning of each chapter outlines weaknesses and strengths in table form. Boxes with other tips are also peppered throughout the chapters.
Chapter 10 deals with Meta‐Search Engines (search multiple engines). Several different engines are discussed. Chapters 11 and 12 cover “Other Search Engines, Further reading and Conclusion”. The book finishes off with an extensive glossary and index. A useful addition to this resource is the updated Web pages http://onstrat.com/engines. Included here are profiles on newer engines like Snap, Google, MSN, and Fast Search. Updates to the engines are also covered in these pages which help this book and information in it stay relevant and timely.
All in all this book is extremely useful. This title was named the “Best Search Engine Book for 1999” by About.com and it is easy to understand why. Extreme Searcher’s … is a well‐written, informative guide. It is cleanly designed and lends itself easily to quick reference as well as reading for detail. This title should be required reading for any searcher.