Editing Digital Video is detailed, interesting, knowledgeable, and just a bit long in the tooth. 

While technologically neutral, both in terms of hardware and software tools, this book is aimed squarely at serious home editors or someone who has a serious desire to learn the art of video editing. The writing style is easily understood by someone who has little familiarity with video editing and it's nigh impossible to differentiate between the portions contributed by the two authors.

The flow of Editing Digital Video starts with the tools of the trade (hardware and software) and how to configure those tools for easiest use. These first two chapters are the most dated thanks to the march of technology. From that launching point, the book starts with the basics of editing up through more complex topics such as compositing.

Jargon is explained well and there are application-specific examples but, being platform-neutral, the examples don't focus on how to do task X in application Y. Most of what is explored or explained after the first two chapters can be generalized into concepts of editing. It is important to note though, that applying those concepts will be much easier if you have some idea of how to navigate in the editing application you use.

Output isn't touched on until the end of the book. Differences between various video formats, for TV (both HD and standard) and the Web are touched on as well as the pros and cons of the various output formats.

Closing out the book are an almost overwhelming set of references: cross-platform keyboard shortcuts, movies to watch for technique (helpfully grouped by various topics and awards), books, magazines, articles, and even websites.

Editing Digital Video contains a wealth of information — its age should be no deterrent to making use of the information presented. It is definitely a solid addition to the library of a budding Hitchcock or Spielberg!