# Best books for a beginner to learn Flash MX? **URL:** \ **Category:** Uncategorized\ **Created:** [June 26, 2003, 7:12pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/best-books-for-a-beginner-to-learn-flash-mx/24163 "2003-06-26T19:12:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![VWTornado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5e9695/32.png) [@VWTornado](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/VWTornado)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 7:12pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/best-books-for-a-beginner-to-learn-flash-mx/24163/1 "2003-06-26T19:12:25Z")
I am interested in making a really cool website for my illustration and paintings and I know I need Flash to do it. I would like things like a character that is stationary in the upper part of the site, but his head and eyes follow your mouse…and he talks when you rollover buttons. I would like other stuff, but haven’t figured that out yet. My question is what are some good books to learn stuff like that from? I would also be interested in maybe doing a video game with Flash at some point. Here is a site I did with Flash MX: [www.spinmediainc.com](http://www.spinmediainc.com) Thanks for any advice. ps I am not a programmer by ANY stretch of the imagination…although I can learn anything if I put my mind to it. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 7:21pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/best-books-for-a-beginner-to-learn-flash-mx/24163/2 "2003-06-26T19:21:13Z")
start here at kirupa. Take the tutorials (they are pretty clear) - after you have gone through them all, you will have a solid understanding of the basics of flash. You should be able to accomplish all of the things you mentioned. TD ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 8:56pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/best-books-for-a-beginner-to-learn-flash-mx/24163/3 "2003-06-26T20:56:20Z")
are there any good books that have practical examples in them? I’d like to do some cool stuff on the site. And just learn a lot more about Flash for work. I was looking at a book on [amazon.com](http://amazon.com) called Flash MX Game Design Demystified, and it looked like a good book, but REALLY complicated. Like you needed to know trigonometry and programming to do anything cool it seemed. ☹ I haven’t used trig since like 10th grade and forgot it all. :-\ ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 9:24pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/best-books-for-a-beginner-to-learn-flash-mx/24163/4 "2003-06-26T21:24:49Z")
I have two flash books, Flash MX for Dummies(to explain the authoring tool) and ActionScript for Flash MX (ActionScript). Everything I have learnt about Flash was learnt from those two books and browsing forums. [book no1 on amazon.com](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0764508954/qid=1056662546/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-2836815-0105413?v=glance&s=books) [book no2 on amazon.com](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/059600396X/qid=1056662655/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-2836815-0105413?v=glance&s=books) ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2003, 9:40pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/best-books-for-a-beginner-to-learn-flash-mx/24163/5 "2003-06-26T21:40:40Z")
hej … to speak for myself … i bought the Moock book for Flash MX two weeks ago … i have no programming xperience whatsoever and i must say that this book is really good. it gives u a good understanding about programming and teaches u actionscript from the ground up if u want to learn AS pick this one lat0rrrrrrrrrrrr ( for learning basic flash stuff like movieclips, tweens, etc don’t buy a book … just look around on the web or check macromedia’s own tutorials ) ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 4:36am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/best-books-for-a-beginner-to-learn-flash-mx/24163/6 "2003-06-27T04:36:49Z")
Has anyone read or seen this book? If so how is it? Flash MX Game Design Demystified [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0201770210/ref=pd\_sim\_books\_4/103-0026164-4631011?v=glance&s=books](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0201770210/ref=pd_sim_books_4/103-0026164-4631011?v=glance&s=books) or this one: Macromedia Flash MX Designer’s ActionScript Reference Got 5 out of 5 stars by all the reviewers. :thumb: [https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1590591658/ref=cm\_wl\_ovu-pg.1-pos.1/103-0026164-4631011?v=glance&coliid=I3VXQUNU4U5T58&me=ATVPDKIKX0DER](https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1590591658/ref=cm_wl_ovu-pg.1-pos.1/103-0026164-4631011?v=glance&coliid=I3VXQUNU4U5T58&me=ATVPDKIKX0DER) ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 5:01am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/best-books-for-a-beginner-to-learn-flash-mx/24163/7 "2003-06-27T05:01:30Z")
I dont know the book, but reading the title i think it focus on flash for games. Not wat u want i guess… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 5:14am UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/best-books-for-a-beginner-to-learn-flash-mx/24163/8 "2003-06-27T05:14:16Z")
I must agree, do the tutes here [http://www.kirupa.com/developer/](http://www.kirupa.com/developer/) and then shoot over to [http://www.actionscript.org/tutorials.shtml](http://www.actionscript.org/tutorials.shtml) and do them, that’ll be a great start… You might find some good stuff at [http://www.tutorialforums.com](http://www.tutorialforums.com) as well… Happy Flashing. Nice job on the site as well, nice and simple… Dave ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 2:37pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/best-books-for-a-beginner-to-learn-flash-mx/24163/9 "2003-06-27T14:37:54Z")
Daveman, thanks for the links. And for the compliments. I have a few more buttons to make in one section of that site, but I wanna do something cool…and that takes time. But overall the site is about 90% done. The site is more for information than mouth dropping special effects or tricks. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 2:41pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/best-books-for-a-beginner-to-learn-flash-mx/24163/10 "2003-06-27T14:41:50Z")
hej peeps … to answer your question, VWTornado, the first book about Flash Game Design is about “Flash Game Design” 😃 so if that is what u want to do (designing games in/with flash that is) maybe that is a good book … dunno the second book is probably just what the title says it is … a reference to flash MX … meaning : a list of all the different mc properties, functions, event handlers, etc. and an explanation of what they do and how to use them (syntax). if u want reference check the help files in flash MX , the “reference panel” within the program itself or chech the macromedia website but don’t waste ur money on the book. instead … use the money to buy Colin Moock’s book "ActionScript For Flash MX ; the definative guide " this book explains programming basics and gives you good start with actionscript. the book also has an extensive reference section which is really great, lots of examples and the great thing is that it assumes you have no programming/AS knowledge … so it is really easy to get into if u just want to learn the flash basics check out the tutorials here and on macromedia site but don’t waste any money on books u don’t need 🙂 lat0rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/kirupa/original/3X/6/2/621e5c11736f46532526e61be85940af4230f3e5.png) [@system](https://forum.kirupa.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2003, 2:54pm UTC](https://forum.kirupa.com/t/best-books-for-a-beginner-to-learn-flash-mx/24163/11 "2003-06-27T14:54:53Z")
Yeah, thats why i’m asking on here. Cause I dont want to buy books I either don’t need, or aren’t any good, or that I just plain won’t understand at this point. That last book you mentioned looks really informative…its just the $50 price tag that has me hesitating. But all the reviewers gave it 5/5, so thats saying something right there. Most people on amazon that review are brutally honest, so when they say its good, its probably good. I mean if I reviewed something I’d tell you the honest truth…wouldn’t want others wasting money on a crap product. Thanks for the advice…maybe I’ll see if my company will pick up the tab for the book. 😉