This book is an erudite discussion of Spinoza's philosophy which presupposes a lot of previous knowledge of his doctrine. To take but one example, the first chapter does not explain the central notions of substance, modes and attributes, but discusses them, which is mainly done by comparing the points of view of several Spinoza scholars. All in all, this so-called "guidebook" is in fact a kind of dialogue the author is having with other specialists.

Therefore, if you want to get acquainted with Spinoza and undestand the basics, don't buy this book. I recommend Robert Duff's "Spinoza's Political and Ethical Philosophy" instead.