Not sure why someone would think this is the manual. It is not the manual, it is a separate book with a DVD full of projects to work on and step by step exercises on things like Editing and Transistions, special effects and titles and how to make a DVD.
I found this book to be a great introduction to working with video on my computer- I chose Premiere Elements because it let me burn a DVD from the program. The chapter in the book is much better than anything in the manual as it tells you how to set up chapters and make a menu.
For someone who didin't know anything about video this book introduced me to the subject in a way that was easy to follow.