Product Description
Are you fascinated by the look and design of Web pages? Do you wish that you had the knowledge and skills to create a great looking Web site? Whether you’re an up-and-coming Web designer or just an enthusiastic hobbyist, you are probably using HTML, the standard authoring language for the Internet. HTML 4 For Dummies, now in its 5^th edition, will show you the basics of working with this language as well as advanced skills for all-around knowledge.

HTML is used to create Web documents. As a standard issued by the World Wide Web Consortium, it is used by almost everyone to create and edit Web pages. HTML is capable of:

• Creating a Web site
• Inserting designs to a Web page
• Running on both PCs and Macs

The new edition of HTML 4 For Dummies contains nearly 50% more content than its previous editions, and covers a wide range of material, including: Planning a Web site to avoid underperformance

• Creating and viewing a Web page
• Working with text, tables, lists, and links
• Adding style to your page with images, colors, and fonts
• Managing layout
• Controlling positioning and appearance using CSS
• Integrating scripts with HTML
• Designing an eBay auction page
• Helpful advices and tips, as well as warnings about pitfalls

Complete with a 6-page tear-out colored reference sheet, HTML 4 For Dummies is the most comprehensive HTML guide yet. Written by a computer expert and author of over 120 books, including the previous editions of the bestselling HTML 4 For Dummies, this straightforward, fun guide will aid you through making and editing beautiful Web pages.Amazon.com Review
This guide walks you through the entire Web authoring process,teaching you how to use the nuts and bolts of HTML to build your Webpage. You've got to feel good about a guide that tells you that"if you can dial a telephone or find your keys in the morning,you too can become an HTML author."

The authors start with thepremise that you're a true beginner. The first part of the book coversthe history of the Web, what a browser is, how HTML is used, and whatit takes to access the Web. The book then dives into HTML basics, pagelayout, and instructions on how to build your first basic Webpage. Part 2 explains what a markup language is and how HTMLworks. This section provides an overview of each HTML tag, highlightsspecial characters, and shows you how to add templates, lists, andlinks to your Web pages. Part 3 covers relatively advanced areas suchas tables, attractive Web design, complex pages, forms, style sheets,image maps, navigation aids, and finally going live with your site.

Part 4 contains the famous "Part of Tens" section that is ineach Dummies book, plus HTML's Top Ten Do's and Don'ts, Ten DesignDesiderata, and Nearly Ten Ways to Exterminate Web Bugs. Extras on theCD-ROM include overviews on testing your pages, working with DynamicHTML, frames, Common Gateway Interface (CGI), and more. The CD-ROMalso has shareware and examples of HTML that are used in thebook. --Elizabeth Lewis ... Read more

Customer Reviews (73)

HTML for Dummies
I was happy when I received the book. It was in good condition. I had it for a couple of weeks and finally broke the seal on the CD envelope in the back of the book. The CD was cracked and will not play.

Wonderful
I've learned so much about the web.. I've also got front page for dummies and I dont feel like a dummie any more.

Great Info!
I'm a great dummy where HTML is concerned so I'm very happy with this book. I don't intend to write a complete computer program, but I do need to know how to format some of the entries I use in my web sites. This book helps. Thanks.

review
haven't gotten that far in the book. But so far so good.I give it an A+

Great Book
I'm never disappointed with Dummies books and this one is no exception. Great read, easy to learn. ... Read more

Product Description

For readers who want to design Web pages thatload quickly, are easy to update, accessible to all, work on allbrowsers and can be quickly adapted to different media, thiscomprehensive guide represents the best way to go about it. By focusingon the ways the two languages--XHTML and CSS--complement each other,Web design pro Patrick Griffiths provides the fastest,most efficient way of accomplishing specific Web design tasks. With Webstandards best practices at its heart, it outlines how to do things theright way from the outset, resulting in highly optimized web pages, ina quicker, easier, less painful way than users could hope for! Splitinto 10 easy-to-follow chapters such as Text, Images, Layout, Lists,and Forms, and coupled with handy quick-reference XHTML tag and CSSproperty appendixes, HTML Dog is the perfect guide andcompanion for anyone wanting to master these languages. Readers canalso see the lessons in action with more than 70 online examplesconstructed especially for the book.

Customer Reviews (13)

Not for beginners
HTML Dog: The Best Practice Guide to XHTML and CSS is clearly a quality book, but...
- The fact is that for someone like me who last looked at HTML over a decade ago it was often confusing. The author is clearly on a campaign for purity and for using solely the latest standards, so he commonly spends time advising the reader that some older mode of coding is bad and should not be done. As a result when trying to integrate the lessons with existing code problems arise. The book appears to be quite what it claims to be, a "best practice guide" rather than a tutorial for those of us who need to start from zero.

Pretty good!
Loved getting the book- it was in amazing mint condition to start with, and I think this book is one of the most awesome books if you want to learn more about HTML and CSS! Go for it! :D

had higher expectations
I was disappointed. 3 stars.

The content of this book is good, not great. I think the author should cut the lengthy explanations and arguments short. Feed us the beef please. But he knows what he is doing and the external resources (especially the author's website) are very helpful.

The book introduces the concepts of content structuring and then content presentation. Every chapter (save the first one) follows the pattern: structure, then presentation.

Was there a full CSS 2.1 reference?? a full XHTML1.1 reference (ok the author gave an excuse, saying he removed the tags that were not really structuring tags, but rather presentation ones)?? Because if there were, I wouldn't have gave this book 3 stars.

You see, I got this book because of the appendices. I don't like to have to find my way through Google search results (most of them which got on the first page by using marketing and SEO tricks anyway...). So I thought this book was the deal. I was wrong.

I still had to ask my friend Google questions like "how precisely are the values set for the background-position property?" The author did not bother explaining that or point to where you should find that.

This book is too superficial, just like a tutorial.

Beginner book but very good
This is a great book for beginning HTML and CSS quick and easy to read also with an accompanying website. I find myself referring to it all the time. I've read it in full 3 times now just for heck of it. I really would also recommend the "Head First" titles. I swear by those to start learning in a particular subject.

Not for a beginner
This book serves as a great reference, but if you don't know what css and xhtml is leave this book alone. The book only has about 100 pages of material. He goes through the differnt aspects of xhtml and css, but if you have never heard what he is talking about its very hard to understand. I would say this book is meant as a reference NOT!! a leraning guide. ... Read more

Product Description
HTML and its XML-based derivative, XHTML, are the fundamental languages for working on the web, and the new edition of our popular HTML guide offers web developers a better way to become fluent in these languages. HTML & XHTML: The Definitive Guide, 5th Edition is the most comprehensive, up-to-date book available on HTML and XHTML.It covers Netscape Navigator 6, Internet Explorer 6, HTML 4.01, XHTML 1.0,CSS2, and all of the features supported by the popular web browsers.In HTML & XHTML: The Definitive Guide, the authors cover every element of HTML/XHTML in detail, explaining how each element works and how it interacts with other elements. Tips about HTML/XHTML style help you write documents ranging from simple online documentation to complex presentations. With hundreds of examples, the book gives you models for writing your own effective web pages and for mastering advanced features like style sheets and frames. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (26)

Beware of the Edition
Amazon is mixing reviews from different editions of this book. It's a fine book, but editions 5 and older are certainly dated. While most of the information in the 5th edition may be factually correct, there's a confusing mix of deprecated (obsolete) and standard features - plus many references to outdated browsers. If you're trying to write compliant XHTML buy the latest edition or look for another more recent book.

Another excellent reference...
A real educational experience.Also a well defined book.Be ready to learn when you read this book.

Excellent reference
This book is what one expects, a comprehensive coverage of HTML/XHTML.There are perhaps more easily digested books on the subject, but this is well structured and readily understood reference work.It is my primary source ofaccurate HTML information.

HTML & XHTML
This is a good book for moderate to experienced computer users with programming experience. The code snipets are helpful to illustrate the topic, but a less experienced person could easily get confused.

HTML & XHTML: The Definitive Guide, Fifth Edition
I am getting ready to build my own website and this book has helped immensely and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good book to introduce them to the language of HTML. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (9)

It provides great concepts and better coding practices
I have a good understanding of the basic usage of HTML & CSS. As someone who is relatively new to HTML & CSS this book filled in the gaps. The author presents great concepts and comprehensive descriptions about approach, methods, and application. I needed this book to supplement my current developing process. This book stands apart from all my other HTML & CSS references. It does much more than provide syntax with basic descriptions. It also provides history, IE handling, detailed methodologies, and more.

For the Thinking Stylist
There are a plethora of books that provide step-by-step tutorials on CSS styling, but the strength of Henicks' work is in speaking more substantially about the why's and wherefore's of working (seriously and professionally) with HTML and CSS (chapters 1, 4, and 5 in particular, especially "The Four Habit's of Effective Stylists"). I gravitated to this book--even though I don't fall within the author's descriptions of the Ideal Reader, being a lapsed HTML-CSS developer now firmly entrenched in user experience design--by virtue of its compact yet expository approach to describing how developers can learn to practice standards-friendly, effective website styling. While I may not be a practicing developer, I wanted a focused guide on the theoretical intricacies of CSS that kept in view the larger context of user experience as well, including web accessibility.

Yes, the writing is dense and definitely assumes familiarity with DTDs, elements, selectors, et. al.--the book is really best suited to web developers with experience, as the author makes clear in the introduction. Henick gets to the heart of CSS styling and its gnarly problems very directly, with no hand holding, so be prepared for taking your own time to validate and explore the characteristics and behaviors of CSS properties he describes. Happily, he takes the time to introduce relevant HTML5 developments and the problems and gains they introduce in web development. Many of the charts, while quite technical, do a lot of the thinking for you as well, making this a good quick guide to things like column ordering based on float/margin property/value assignments.If you are a web stylist interested in plumbing the depths of HTML+CSS, and going beyond merely executing web designs, this will be a welcome addition your library.

A great guide to, well, the good bits of web development
This book is not a beginner's guide to web development, so those who purchase the book expecting to have their hands held through the basics be disappointed. "The Good Parts" is targeted at an experienced web developer who already has a solid knowledge of HTML and CSS and wants to take their skills to the next level. The focus of the book is on providing specific tips to take advantage of the various advanced features of HTML and CSS to really "kick things up a notch" with one's development.

By necessity, the book jumps around a bit (like I said early, if you want a thorough survey of HTML for beginners, look elsewhere). Chapters cover creating effective structure to your code, advanced CSS layout, various page elements (tables, multimedia, and forms) and typography. The typography chapter is especially useful, as this is an often abused part of web design and development. This book also has a very useful chapter called "The Bad Parts" focusing on the necessary evils of development, including dealing with Internet Explorer (especially IE6) and various inane portions of the standards.

I would recommend this book as a great reference in any professional web coder's library.

The Good Parts, Indeed
I am a graphic designer who gets off on both right and left brain activities. I like working on code. I am not a developer, but I do enjoy knowing how things work.

With that said, I have been struggling for the past few years to say with confidence that I am a web designer. At age 31, I was starting to feel obsolete because I just couldn't wrap my brain around HTML and CSS enough to feel that I really owned it. I could edit bits and pieces of things. I could grasp some general concepts. But all in all, I was lost. I could play checkers with code, but I could not build things.

I was at that point when this book came to me.

This book contained the context (the why, and the how) behind the disparate jibbly-bits floating in my head behind a website.

This is not a book that will walk you through a bunch of step-by-step tutorials. Those tutorials don't help me anyway. Design and development are not linear processes.

What was helpful (for me) was feeling like I had an expert with a willingness to speak above my head *just a little bit* and pull me along into a foreign language. It's not an easy read, but it was something I could curl up with on a couch with some coffee and dive into. Did it hurt my brain? Yes. But in that sense that I was really learning something. And that feels good.

I highly recommend this book for others like me who are transitioning from being a print designer to being a web designer who knows how web sites work.

an animal guide lemon
Read Randall Degges' review; it's spot on, so I won't repeat.I bought this book in spite of his review and regret it.

This was my 4th animal guide book.The other three (perl, python, php) were all about explaining what to do and helping you get your hands dirty.This book seems like the author had a late night rant about web standards and got it published FAST.There are tons of free sites that teach/show/explain how to use CSS and HTML.This book doesn't really do any of those things.If you want to find the contents of this book check the html forums.The best thing in the book is the use of the phrase "iframes are a kind of poor man's AJAX".

The O'Reilly books for learning/mastering are great, but I found this book to be an absolute waste of money and time. ... Read more

Product Description
Part of the highly successful Shelly Cashman series, this text provides an introduction to HTML and leads the user through a clear, step-by-step, screen-by-screen approach to learning. Readers learn how to create a Web page using HTML, format the page, add graphics, and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Get this book if you're learning to create a web page
This book is a great resource if you're new to HTML and web page development.It has excellent examples.I had my web page built in less than 1 day and have since added 3 more pages to my home page.I am not a technical person and this book is easy to understand. ... Read more

Product Description
* Walks readers through the process of creating a basic Web site from scratch using HMTL, the basis for billions of Web pages, and then jazzing it up with advanced techniques from the author's award-winning sites
* This updated edition features new material that shows readers how to attract visitors to a site and keep them there, including new JavaScript examples and coverage of cascading style sheets and XHTML, technologies that make building successful Web sites even easier
* Also features exciting new tips and tricks for beginning and advanced users, as well as more expanded examples and samples for users to incorporate in their own sites
* The book moves from basic design and deployment to advanced page layout strategies, showing how to spice up new or existing sites with sound, video, and animation ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

Recommended for a class I'm taking ...
This book was (1) of (3) books recommended by the teacher of my online CSS & XHTML class.

It's more like a workbook than a manual, so it helps to work chapter by chapter.

It's easier to use than a manual and much less cumbersome.

However, I feel "Headfirst HTML with CSS & XHTML" by O'Reilly is more comprehensive while still holding onto the "workbook" style.

Make this book your SECOND choice to the O'Reilly book.

Beginner, but not "cool"...
I got this to be an aid in teaching HTML and CSS to a 13-yr-old.

There is a lot of your standard HTML stuff in here and even some decent CSS basics, but as for being a good start towards creative or "cool" sites utilizing the contents; it's not.Just some run of the mill examples. It even has whole sections dedicated to frames.Yech.The CSS examples are pretty limited too.One small chapter on CSS inline text formatting (no stylesheet use) followed by a large chapter on table based layouts.What a shame.

Decent for a beginner, but I'd gravitate towards "CSS Web Design for Dummies" instead.

Best CSS primer also covers CGI and Javascript
Among nearly two shelves of CSS books at the store, this was the best one in terms of brevity, usefulness, and practicality.(With honorable mention to "Eric Meyer on CSS."I was there quite a while checking books out, and I hope somebody finds this opinion useful.)

I had some experience with CSS which is why I had questions.Chapter 4 is twenty-odd pages that I assimilated in 15 minutes --it answered ALL of my questions and had me itching to try things out!I immediately re-factored my site's pages and it ALL worked on the first crack!Chap. 4 alone justifies purchasing the book. If you're still using the FONT tag or positioning images with TABLEs, kiss that goodbye forever!CSS is so much more professional and controllable, and this is a killer introduction.

There isn't much to know on CGI so it's "all" here:it's just an additional line of code for Perl hacks, assuming one is at least clinically sane about security, i.e., doesn't pass a form field to system("$form{1}").Doesn't cover PHP.Has a good chapter on essential JavaScript (how to check form fields to make sure they were filled in, etc.).The book is aimed at beginners, yet I (a career techie) did not find it annoying.It is to-the-point and I quickly found what I wanted --and more!Lots of cool tricks + good "under the hood" info (such as: the HEAD section loads entirely before the BODY, which is why it's a good place to put JavaScript functions so that they're all ready by the time the user sees anything).

This book is an antique.
I'm glad I didn't open the enclosed CD. I'd then be selling this book. I understand the basics of HTML coding haven't changed, but when I read the forward of this book, I knew it was out of date. 2nd edition, first published in 2000 this book is behind the times in computer time. Netscape the wave of the Future? All code checked with windows 98? What good could the enclosed CD be with a 2000 version of Explorer and Coffee Cup. This book would be of no help to a Myspace user and was no help to me. Still looking for an up to date guide.

hurricanejerry

I am not a techie . . .
And I don't even play one on TV. But I sometimes find myself having to do techie things, such as making revisions to my Web site, or trying to figure out why the $%@!#$ thing isn't doing what I thought it was supposed to do. That is when I reach for this book.

Dave Taylor is a techie, but fortunately for us, he is able to communicate with those of us for whom HTML, CSS and XHTML are not our native languages. The explanations and examples in the book are easy to follow, and the companion Web site provides additional information.

Although the reason I wanted this book was to help with coding issues, it is much more. Creating Cool Web Sites is a one-stop shop with information about building Web pages, adding features such as graphics, audio and video, forms, and more. You even get suggestions on making your site more user-friendly, and attracting search engines and visitors.

There are hundreds of books out there about HTML, CSS, Web design, graphics, Java script, RSS, search engine marketing, etc. If you want one book that will explain all of this to you from start to finish in easy-to-understand language, Creating Cool Web Sites is the one you need.

Cathy Stucker, IdeaLady.com ... Read more

Product Description
Creating beautifully coded HTML Web pages that perform predictably and consistently across all browsers and platforms can be a daunting task, but best-selling author Elizabeth Castro knows that most readers don't need an encyclopedic reference, just simple instructions for creating their first Web page. This compact guide delivers! Rather than explaining every tag and option, she demonstrates the quickest, easiest, smartest route to creating that first Web page. Each short section walks readers through the construction of a single phase or component, so they learn how to plan a site, prepare Web images, insert links and graphics, and publish their finished pages to the Web. Project-based, step-by-step instructions and large, full-color screen shots make the information instantly accessible, and the author's clear, straightforward style takes the reader from a standing start to finished site quickly and easily. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Perfect book for HTML beginners!!!
I knew little more than how to use a MySpace type HTML editor before looking at this book, and was quite apprehensive about learning the modern hyroglyphic language called HTML. However, after reading this book, I began to see more of a language rather than a jumble of texted mess. It's simple, project based approach made understanding HTML quite easy. From beginning a website to publishing on the web, Elizabeth Castro provides a simple, yet solid foundation to learn the language of web design. Before reading it, I had no idea that you could create a website without an HTML editor like Dreamweaver.
The author does expect you to know a little bit of image editing (i.e. Photoshop), but already knowing a good amount of Photoshop myself, the tecniques they used are simple and are among the first things you learn in any Photoshop book you pick up. Besides, if you can't edit the elements you are putting in a website anyway, HTML knowledge or not, your website will have limited potential depending on it's intended purpose.
While any aspiring web designer will have much more to learn to create a superb site, it's very easy to see why they say you could make a web site after reading this book. If your planning on learning Dreaweaver and Flash based web techniques later, or just want to make a simple website, this book is where you need to begin your journey!

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!!

Not helpful for the newbie
Bought this book for a person who wanted to learn how to make simple web pages and it was a bad choice.New users benefit most from straight forward instructions and limited toolsets.This book imagines the user to be familar with (and own) photoshop as well as other tools.It would be much simpiler if the author stuck with simple, freely available tools.

If your going to get this book, get the series
This is a wonderful book that allows you to execute and learn good habits instead of walking you down a tutorial path.Its a quick read and excellent reference for basic tasks.

If you do want to buy this book, consider getting the series.

Web Page Visual QuickProject Guide Colletion (Paperback)
by Elizabeth Castro (Author)

The series was rewritten in 2006 and has the corrections to the errors in the 2004 books of the same name.

The series has the HTML quickproject, Flash quickproject, and Dreamweaver quickproject.Flash and Dreamweaver are MX 2004 based but happen to have the same commands and keyboard shortcuts as the CS3 and 8 versions.

Dont make the same mistake I almost made and buy this individually.I paid $1 and got it all!Its was cheaper and I obtained two other books.

Great!
I have been messing around for a year(!) trying various WYSIWYG software to create the simple website that I wanted. The software was much harder to master than was HTML as Elizabeth Castro explains it. I first did the projects in this book, then with the help of her HTML, XHTML & CSS book, I have finally been able to make the site I've had in my head for so long. If you are using a PC, I have one suggestion--use Notepad instead of Word to create your web pages, because it's harder to mess up on Notepad. Three cheers for Elizabeth!

Creating A Web Page
I have other books by Liz Castro, and she continues to make life easier for all of us who want to know more about coding and controlling our own web sites. Great introductory book on XHMTL and CSS. ... Read more

Product Description

As both the Web and the browsers used to navigate it mature, work-arounds that compensate for the myriad factors that affect Web page appearance no longer cut it. Users expect Web pages to look beautiful regardless--and with the Fifth Edition of this popular Visual QuickStart Guide, you can make your Web pages comply. By following the generously illustrated, step-by-step instructions that are the hallmark of the Visual QuickStart series, you'll create beautiful code that works consistently across browser versions and platforms (including hand-held devices and cell phones) in no time.

This updated edition includes a new section on foreign-language and multilingual Web sites as well as ample coverage on how the use of HTML is changing. What hasn't changed, however, is the book's popular format: Task-oriented, step-by-step instruction that builds on your growing knowledge. Info-packed appendixes, a comprehensive index, and plenty of screen shots and code examples make HTML for the World Wide Web, Fifth Edition, with XHTML and CSS: Visual QuickStart Guide a must-have reference. Whether you're just getting your feet wet (no prior HTML knowledge is required) or design Web sites for a living, you'll turn to this best-selling guide again and again for answers to all of your HTML-related questions.

Also great for reference are the outstanding appendices. The first is an extensive list of tags and attributes, indicating which are deprecated and/or proprietary and on which page they are discussed. A similar appendix shows CSS properties and values; given the future of Web coding, this chart alone is worth the price of the book. Other handy charts cover intrinsic events, symbols and character Unicodes, and an expanded color chart that goes way beyond the virtually archaic Web-safe palette. All of which makes this a definite must-have for every Web designer's bookshelf. --Angelynn Grant ... Read more

Customer Reviews (92)

Excellent book, great price, fantastic delivery. Well pleased.
I was looking for a good resource book to improve my html work, and Elizabeth Castro's book "HTML for the World Wide Web" was exactly what I was looking for. Anyone working with HTML could use her book. The price was right and delivery was well ahead of my expectations. Amazon did it again. Thanks!

Great easy comprehendable book
Highly recommended book for beginner to advanced users.Great book to have on your shelf of reference programming books.

Good beginners book for those new to web design
I purchased this book I believe about two years ago when I decided that I wanted to learn about web design.I had good previous experiences with Peachpit Press in particular their Visual Quickstart books so I naturally looked for an HTML book from this series.Fast forward till now and I've been able to create a few interesting web pages from what I've learned and certainly HTML For the World Wide Web was certainly a good start.My impression of Ms. Castro is that she is one of those rare people who are not only good at their subject matter but also very competent in effectively teaching it to people from different levels of experience.

Please note though that as I said its a good book for beginners but you'll quickly outgrow it once you get a feel for the basics.I recommend that you purchase, "CSS Mastery: Advanced Web Standards Solutions" within three months from when you begin reading this book.My analogy of these two books are this: Ms. Castro's book is a course in using all of the tools in the carpentry shop and doing small projects.The CSS Mastery book is like then taking an apprenticeship under a master carpenter to build some really nice things with the basic skills that you previously acquired.

Out-of-date
Sure, maybe this book was helpful a few years ago, but now it's too out-dated and doesn't cover enough topics. I can't speak for the more updated version of this text, but I'd advise getting a book from sitepoint (like the CSS Anthology) instead.

HTML for the World Wide Web with XHTML and CSS, Fifth Edition (Visual QuickStart Guide)
excellent condition. ... Read more

Product Description

HTML Goodies, Second Editionis based on the most popular tutorials at HTMLGoodies.com. It starts with a series of short primers teaching the basics of building Web pages, then continues with detailed tutorials covering

Product Description

Customer Reviews (15)

A Very User friendly Reference book
I am taking a class in website building using HTML and CSS. I ordered the book after taking my 1st class, and have found it very helpful. It is very userfriendly with examples for every tag. I definitely recommend this to anyone.

Good for a beginner
I wouldn't call this the Ultimate Reference.Lacking more advanced HTML tags and properties, but the tags/properties that it does cover is in great detail.Great for beginners, lacking for more advanced html coding.

Good reference
If you've ventured at all into web sites, blogging, and social media, you find yourself running into HTML. Visual editor tools are fine for getting the effects you want into writing, but that is slow and limited. For the greatest flexibility in formatting text, creating tables and lists, inserting pictures, and many other tasks, a knowledge of HTML is handy. The Ultimate HTML Reference by Ian Lloyd is a reference book that should be close by a dictionary, thesaurus, or volume on English usage.

I've found myself frequently reaching for it when trying to remember how to control a table layout in a blog entry or double-checking how to get a link to open in a new window. The material is complete so far as I can tell, and the organization, including TOC and index, is strong and lets me easily find what I need. At $45 it isn't a cheap volume, but could easily save you its cost in time efficiency in your first time or two of using it.

I do wish that the index were more complete and cross-referenced. But still a good book to have close by when dealing with HTML.

Must have
This reference (together with The Ultimate CSS Reference) is a must have for any professional or home-user who whats to know all about the possibilities of HTML.

It can be used to check which element is supported by all major browsers (with the exception of the lastest Firefox release 3.0). It has a very usefull index, brief but clear descriptions and its size and format makes it easy to use.

An HTML Essential
Whether you code HTML by hand or use a design tool like DreamWeaver, you definitely ought to have this book handy. ... Read more

Product Description

If you want to get into developing web sites, the most important thing you need is a solid understanding of Hypertext Markup Language, or HTML—the language that the majority of web site content is written in.

Beginning HTML with CSS and XHTML: Modern Guide and Reference incorporates practical examples that will show you how to structure your data correctly using (X)HTML, along with styling and layout basics using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). Youll also learn how to add dynamic behavior to your data using the JavaScript™ language.

Customer Reviews (9)

engineer
It is not good.It was late to reach me.For me, it is not good reference book.

will be a great reference once i've learned xhtml and css
I'll keep this short. Having used Apress in the past (Joomla, Clear Blogging), and being very happy with what i learned/accomplished, I went straight for this book. Big mistake. It is uneven and reminds me of my college textbooks (dry!). If you are a "hands-on" learner that has a project in mind, get something else (i just ordered the Head First book on this subject, it has 187 five-star ratings here on Amazon). I'm sure this book will be very helpful once I know the basics, but for now, no way.

Awsome
I had no ideal what I was getting into, when I decided to try to create web pages myself without going to school. I have had this book for awhile now. The book is pretty instructional. I like the step by step instructions that it gives. I recommend this book to people that are starting out creating web pages.

Valuable yetuneven
Every master was once an apprentice; the beginner must start at the beginning. For the author of an introductory text on a technical subject, the challenge is to adopt the "beginner's mind," which is characterized in Zen practice as "is the mind that is innocent of preconceptions and expectations, judgments and prejudices." The teacher of novices must clear his mind and place himself in the mind of the student who knows little or nothing about a subject. He must be able to transmit complex concepts in clear, non-technical language and provide enough information to make the subject understandable, yet not overwhelm the student with too much information or information that is not pertinent.

The first two chapters of "Beginning HTML with CSS and XHTML: Modern Guide and Reference" satisfies the requirements of a beginner's book quite well. The language is clear, concise, and devoid of jargon. The remainder of the book is quite uneven, probably due to the publisher's decision to employ two authors for the book. Craig Cook (the author of chapters 1, 2, 4, 5, 8 and 11) is more than capable of communicating technical information using plain language. His prose is concise and accurate, yet he maintains a gentle, witty tone that is ideal for making the neophyte feel at ease with new material. David Schultz is much less adept at maintaining the `beginner's mind.' His prose is often convoluted and awkward, making it difficult to decipher the terms he attempts to explain.

Chapter 4 is an excellent overview of the basic structure of a semantically structured web document. For someone looking for an introduction to HTML and CSS fundamentals, the book is worth buying for this chapter alone. It would also serve a more experienced hand as a concise guide to the proper use of HTML elements.

Chapters 3, 6, and 7 all have a common weakness: the author fails to provide clear definitions and explanations for terms. An example, from p. 164: "charoff: Specifies in pixels or as a percentage how far the alignment should be adjusted to the first character to align on. This requires the use of the align attribute with the value set as char."Contrast this definition with one penned by Cook, p.211: "disabled='disabled': When present, disables the control so that it cannot receive focus and its value cannot be modified. Many browsers will display disabled controls a `grayed-out' state. The value of a disabled control is not submitted."

It appears that Mr. Cook devoted a considerable amount of thought to writing his definitions, while Mr. Schultz was content to restate the official specifications. Cook takes the time to carefully explain a term, giving examples of how it is used in the real world. His definitions & explanations indicate a deep and nuanced understanding of the subject material.

Chapter 10 presents an introduction to JavaScript. Appearing out of place in a book on beginning HTML and CSS, one chapter on JavaScript is simply inadequate to explain even the rudiments of this powerful (but often misused) tool. This space could have been better used in covering CSS positioning in more detail and providing more visual examples.

Chapter 11 is a solid walkthrough in putting together a basic website, from the design process through to final markup. This chapter pulls together what has been presented in the rest of the book and would certainly enable a beginner to create an attractive & functional website from scratch.

Finally, the book provides four appendices. The usefulness of these appendices varies widely. Appendix A is an XHTML 1.o Strict reference: it would be useful but for a complete lack of examples. Appendix B covers color names and hex values: does anyone actually use these? HTML colors are notoriously hideous and their use should be avoided. Appendix C covers special characters: this is a good reference to have. Appendix D covers CSS browser support: again, a useful reference.

But why is there no glossary? A glossary of terms is ESSENTIAL in a beginner's book. Please, leave out the scary HTML colors and give us a glossary!

Despite its shortcomings, "Beginning HTML with CSS and XHTML: Modern Guide and Reference" is a useful book for a person needing to understand the fundamental concepts and application of HTML and CSS. The publishers would have served their readers better by providing a consistent authorial voice throughout the book, including more thorough coverage of CSS positioning and layout, and providing more high-quality graphical examples. This book is a good bet for the beginner who wants to learn the fundamentals of HTML and CSS to create well-structured and usable websites.

Building a strong foundation with HTML
Beginning HTML with CSS and XHTML: Modern Guide and Reference by David Schultz and Craig Cook is an excellent beginners introduction to HTML and CSS. Through each of the eleven chapters the authors walk through the basics and foundation of HTML. For those who are just treading in the waters of HTML and CSS, this book will help you understand the tools available to you as you craft your markup. You will learn about the tags available, their available attributes and purposes, and how to finely tune these into a semantic layout that ultimately gives your content more meaning.

Chapter 1 is our quick history lesson and introduction to HTML. They give background and insight into the goals and purposes of HTML, and how these were shifted during the browser wars and the battle for browser dominance and market share. They introduce the different versions of HTML available, and what they mean for your markup and the rendering inside of the browser. As CSS is discussed, there is also a discussion on keeping a clean separation of content and presentation. Chapter 1 lets us see the big picture and evolution of HTML.

Chapter 2 builds the foundation for the rest of the chapters. This chapter discusses the basics of XHTML and CSS. The building blocks discussed here will be addressed in each and every subsequent chapter of the book. Things such as tags, elements, attributes, and formatting. We are also given a snapshot view of what comprises an XHTML document, the doctype, the HTML element, and the document tree. All of this plays into understanding the fundamentals of CSS, cascade, and inheritance. We now have our history lesson and basic constructs in place, it's time to take a look at the rest of the pieces to the puzzle.

Chapters 3 and 4 cover a large territory. From constructing a useable head section, to walking step by step through many of the available HTML elements available to you as you put your content together. With discussion of each element, you are given detailed instructions of how and when it should be used, with an exhaustive list of its available attributes. CSS is briefly discussed, but will be re-introduced in a later chapter after we have our content constructed.

Chapter 5 is all about images. This chapter gives a brief primer on how digital images work, and what are the formats you can use within your content. Images can serve different purposes: icons, decoration, background, or context. Each of these are discussed with information on how to place them accordingly with CSS or the img tag.

Chapter 6 is all about linking. You are introduced to the a tag, its available attributes, and how you can create different types of links. Textual links, anchor links, and linking an image are all discussed.

Chapter 7 is all about tables. Despite what you may hear from others, tables have a very good semantic use in regards to tabular data (who would have thought?). However, tables are also misunderstood in relation to the tags and attributes. It is important to build tables with accessibility in mind, and this chapter goes over some of the elements that haven't received as much exposure. These include, but are not limited to: caption, colgroup, and tbody. This chapter will give you the information necessary to build a powerful and semantically rich table.

Chapter 8 discusses all of the little details to building a usable and accessible form. Just as with tables, there are some elements that are often forgotten about when building forms. This chapter does a great job of covering all of the necessary components for a form, and how to structure them. Form elements are rendered with the underlying operating system, so the end of this chapter discusses CSS and some of the ways you can spruce up the look of your forms. This is to be used with caution, as forms are rendered differently in each browser.

Chapters 9 and 10 discuss the other 2 pieces of the trinity of the front end: CSS and JavaScript. These chapters are meant to be brief primers, and will most likely whet your appetite to learn more about each aspect. They are also placed here to give you a good foundation as the final chapter will roll everything up into a case study.

Chapter 11 is the end of the journey. What good would the book be if you couldn't put what you have learned into practice? This chapter creates the fictional Spaghetti & Cruft website (you have to read the book to find out the meaning of the name). This chapter starts with the design process, moves to the building process, and then polishes it off by adding enhancements with CSS and JavaScript. The humorous name aside, this chapter is one of the most valuable chapters of the entire book. This final chapter brings the book to a close, and with it leaves you a solid foundation as you continue your journey of building other sites.

Conclusion
Many would argue that they don't need to learn HTML, that is what a WYSIWYG is for. This book shows you the value of understanding the history, the basics, and the semantics of HTML. It is important to note that nothing found in this book is earth-shattering, however, if you are a beginner and new to HTML, this book will give you the proper start you need to begin developing right away. If you are moving away from the reliance of a WYSIWYG, you may be surprised at many of the elements available to you that are covered in this book. ... Read more

Product Description
NEW PERSPECTIVES ON BLENDED HTML, XHTML, AND CSS provides you with beginning Web programming skills with in-depth coverage of CSS and its use with HTML and XHTML. With the New Perspectives proven pedagogy, you will think critically and understand WHY you're learning WHAT you're learning. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Good to have for future HTML design experts!
The book is a good resource for those that are looking for a step by step process on how to build a web page. The book takes you through scenarios on using different tags, modification of attributes and beautification of a web page. My recommendation would be to work through each of the scenarios to get the entire concept down though. I'm using this book as a text book for an "Intro to Web Design" class and we jump around to various sections to cover specific concepts. This book does have a good appendix at the end for quick reference.

Very good book
I have just finished using this book in an online class (offered by the author). I could not disagree more with the "Don't buy this" review from July 28, 2008. I worked the tutorials and would say I have covered 80% of the examples in this book. I found 2 very minor typos. And no errors of susbstance.

This book is a tutorial, rather than a reference. It can be hard to find specific information, but that is not how the book is intended to be used. IMHO, you will have a hard time finding a better HTML tutorial than this book.

Easy to follow
Bought this as a textbook for an HTML class, but it could be used on it's own.Easy to follow instructions.

Great hands-on HTML and CSS book for beginners
I am a 13-year-old middle school student who is studying some basic Web technology over the summer. This is my first time to learn HTML and CSS. After reading several books on this subject, by far this is the best book for beginners. I could follow and understand it easily. I finished the book in less than a month, and all exercises worked properly as shown in the book.

Here are some of the highlights in this book:

- On each chapter, the author clearly explains the covering concepts and he repeats them throughout the book so you won't forget them in later chapters.

- Through the tutorials that go along with each chapter, the hands-on technique makes applying the concept to the real world seem easier to understand and help with remembering what you learned.

I am so happy to read this book and would definitely recommend it to all beginners who are new to HTML and CSS.

Don't buy this
I hate how Amazon won't let you give an item zero stars.

This book was required by class, and that is the only reason I bought it. I can't say enough about how wretched this book is. If you're a beginner, this is not a book for you- go find something from the Classroom in a Book series. If you're like me and have been in web design a while and took a web design class in hopes of an easy A, you know this stuff already.

The book is laid out as a series of tutorials, which means you'll never find anything quickly. Each module has you coding HTML and CSS at the same time. Which theoretically could have worked, but they flip-flopped it so frequently that you couldn't always understand what they were trying to do exactly. I really think they should have given a good background in HTML first, then used the second half of the book to cover CSS (which I totally adore) and how it complements HTML.

What really burned me up was that the code in the book is often wrong. I cheat and use DreamWeaver when designing (and tweak the heck out of my code once it's roughed in) so I didn't really notice until my classmates (who were trying to hand code everything in Notepad) kept having validation issues despite having copied everything from the book exactly. I double checked the book against the W3C specifications and sure enough the coding in the book was wrong. ... Read more

Product Description
?HTML, XHTML, & CSS For the Absolute Beginner? provides beginner level programmers with an entry level introduction to HTML, XHTML and CSS. This book serves as a primer for client-side web development. To make learning fun, the book uses a games-based instructional approach that provides working examples that demonstrate how HTML, XHTML and CSS can be applied to the development of web pages and sites. ?HTML, XHTML, & CSS For the Absolute Beginner? is a fun and easy way for a beginner to master web development through the creation of computer games. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Some reviewers are not really reviewing the books
The previous reviewer, Midwest Book Review, is not a real reviewer. He has over 56,000 reviews, yes that's thousands, and all are five star.
Methinks we have a bookseller here, trying to sway those of us who look to this site for real reviews, not sly sales pitches.
I don't know if this book on html and css coding is good or not, but I know that the score is being manipulated by the so called reviewer mentioned above.

Outdated
In the CSS part, it says "Due to lack of universal browser support for CSS 2.0, this book's focus in on CSS
1.0 and it is strongly recommended that you do so as well". That's of course wrong. All the major browsers (Firefox, IE, Opera, Chrome, Safari) supports CSS 2 very well. That in itself makes this book outdated. I only give it two stars because it can teach some HTML and the basics of CSS.

A 'must' for any computer library, promising lasting interest
HTML, XHTML, and CSS for the Absolute Beginner is a 'must' for any serious computer library: it provides tips on all the foundation languages key to web page development on the Internet and shows how to control and manage the presentation of content using Cascading Style Sheets. Source code for all projects and graphics and additional resources round out a tutorial on how to use basic HTML and XHTML to organize web pages and work with links and images. The result is a 'must' for any computer library, promising lasting interest. ... Read more

Product Description
In Learning Web Design, author Jennifer Niederst shares the knowledge she's gained from years of web design experience, both as a designer and a teacher.This book starts from the beginning-- defining the Internet, the Web, browsers, and URLs-- so you don't need to have any previous knowledge about how the Web works.After reading this book, you'll have a solid foundation in HTML, graphics, and design principles that you can immediately put to use in creating effective web pages.In the second edition, Jennifer has updated the book to cover style sheets and reflect current web standards.She has also added exercises that help you to learn various techniques and short quizzes that make sure you're up to speed with key concepts.The companion CD-ROM contains material for all the exercises in the book.Unlike other beginner books, Learning Web Design leaves no holes in your education.It gives you everything you need to create basic web sites and will prepare you for more advanced web work. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (37)

NEVER RECEIVED
Never received this item. Seller sent me a letter to refund and let me keep it if it arrives, never got it.

Best Book on Learning Web Design EVER!!
Okay, I haven't read many.But I am about as web literate as it takes to fool around with some link and image codes on my blogs.When I first picked it up, it seemed like she got into much more detail than I would be able to digest or would even want to! But once I started reading it, the explanations are so clear that I haven't been intimidated by a single exercise yet! I've done every exercise so far with so much ease I'd mistake myself for a genius if I didn't know any better.I've only had the book for three days and I'm already on the tables section! Now, I admit, I only picked up the book so that I could learn to build a very, simple website.I know enough now to take that a step or two further.I'm sure that to get the terminology down, I'll have to give the book a second read and re-visit here and again for brushing up on some things.But, I don't consider that a draw back.It's more like a book to grow with.Hands down, the author has done an excellent job in my opinion.I've read some reviews about the code typos and not being able to get the code to work because of typos.All I can say is that the explanations are so clear that the typos become so apparent that you can figure out why the code didn't work and fix it yourself.

Be sure to get the 3rd Edition!
Hi. This is Jennifer Robbins, the author of Learning Web Design. If you are interested in this title, I highly recommend that you get the Third Edition which is now available. A LOT has changed in the way web sites are built since the second edition of the book was published, and I'd hate for anyone to be getting out-of-date information. Learning Web Design: A Beginner's Guide to (X)HTML, StyleSheets, and Web Graphics

Amazing!
For those looking to start web design this is the book to get.It says illustrated but it should say illustrations on every page.Very very illustrated.One of my favorite things about this book is after every chapter(when HTML is disscused)it provides an appendix showing you the html tags you just learned.Useful as a reference.This book does not leave you hanging.It teaches you every thing you need to create and understand basic websites.About half the book introduces you to html tags and the other portion is about web graphics.Jenn's style of writting is not boring but is often humerous and cozy.I have created 4 websites after reading this book.Buy this book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Excellent resource to get a website up and running
I needed to understand how domain names and webhosting worked, plus design, program, test, and implement a website quickly.This book was perfect -- extremely well-organized, with a good Table of Contents and index, excellent examples and helpful (but not overwhelming) reference tables.The book had sufficient detail that I could get graphics loaded and use some CSS to make my text look more professional.I launched a good-looking, no-frills site for a club without any fancy animation, and got it up and running in a less than a month of evenings and weekends.The demo software (BBEdit) was invaluable to getting me started.Good treatment as well of issues with .gif, .jpeg, and .png files, and I feel that I can still learn more from this text should I want to make the site more sophisticated.The discussion of tables was especially clear.I recommend this book for anyone, even if you've never designed your own site or written a lick of html. Those wanting to do online forms to allow users to submit data will need to learn Javascript. ... Read more

Product Description

Sams Teach Yourself Web Publishing with HTML and CSS in One Hour a Day is a new edition of the best-selling book that started the whole HTML/web publishing phenomenon. The entire book has been revised and refined to reflect current web publishing practices and technologies. It includes extensive coverage of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), which have become a staple in web development.

You'll have no problem learning from expert author Laura Lemay's clear and approachable writing style. Simple, step-by-step instructions with lots of practical, interesting examples of web pages will guide you as you master current web publishing technologies and practices.

Customer Reviews (9)

Very Explanatory - a bit too much
If you want to spend hours reading about html, this is the book for you. To be fair, I used a free online tutorial ([...]) to teach myself html and CSS and it worked well for me because it teaches you everything you need to know and takes you through the lessons quickly with no extra fluff. I definitely won't say that this book isn't useful, but it isn't easy to read and it takes much longer to understand the concepts than it should. Plus it mixes in CSS near the beginning without explaining it.
It does split everything into lessons, which makes for a more orderly learning experience. Overall, only buy this book if you need it for a class.

Could be misleading
I remember Lemay's earlier books, and that she's a good writer.I was ready to pick this one up, but early on, when the authors write about DOCTYPE, they say "you don't really need it" - if you leave it out you'llbe OK.

That's asbad as saying "just leave out HEAD and BODY, it'll work anyway".

It might work, but you really need to specify DOCTYPE if you're going to build websites.

A big error like that makes me wonder how much the've left out or skimmed over in the rest of the book.

I'd call this a "Getting Started" book - one to get your feet wet.But you'll need to go on to other, better books if you really want to do HTML & CSS.

Not a bad book
I'm about 1/3 of the way through the book right now, and I am pleased with it so far. I'm pretty familiar with computers and the Internet already, but the authors include enough information for beginniers to get a good grasp on the terminology early on.

The book breaks down the material into 21 lessons, implying that each one should take one hour per day. A word of warning: you'll probably need more than an hour unless you're a really quick study. The early lessons are pretty basic and go by quickly, but by lessons 5 & 6 the terminology starts coming fast. The authors offer several suggestions for HTML editors to use while reading the book, and I highly recommend downloading one (I use the free HTML-Kit, and it works quite well).

I do have a few complaints. The authors seem to spend a lot of time covering "deprecated" HTML tags, which are considered outdated in favor of CSS. They say that it these tags are good ot know if you find them in older websites, but for someone like me who is new to HTML, including the old tags with the new is a bit confusing, and I frequently have to check the appendix to make sure that the tag I'm using is not obsolete. CSS has not been covered extensively yet (it looks like lesson 9 will do that), but it looks pretty different from HTML. If a new edition of this book is made, the authors need to ditch the outdated HTML and include the CSS right from the beginning.

My other complaint is that, for a book on HTML, the examples aren't that well edited. I just finished lesson 7 and was having a difficult time adding color to my pages until I realized that the author(s) had accidentally used a comma instead of a semicolon. That tiny mistake made a huge difference, and it's not the only tiny mistake they made.

Good beginner text for learning HTML and CSS
I purchased this book for a college course I am taking titled "Web Design and Development".The instructor chose the the textbook but it is well written and has numerous examples of good web site and page design.Gets into some of the more advanced features of creating web pages using XHTML and CSS.I would recommend this book for a beginning web programmer or administrator.

This is great until lesson 9
and then the bottom falls out.This book is fantastic as far as a beginner or review course for html and basic CSS.However . . . the chapter on CSS layouts and positioning (lesson 9) leaves ALOT to be desired.I became completely lost when I reached this chapter.I don't know which one of the authors handled this lesson but I'm hoping they'll fix it for future editions.They assume that the audience knows more than they should about class and IDs without ever providing adequate examples.The examples that are provided seem to skip steps.Still a good book but if you're new to CSS layouts and positioning like me, you're better off googling a CSS tutorial for beginners. ... Read more

Product Description
Sams Teach Yourself HTML 4 in 24 Hours, Fourth Edition, is a carefully organized tutorial that teaches the beginning Web page author just what you need to know in order to get a Web page up in the shortest time possible. The book covers only those HTML tags and technologies that are likely to be used on a beginner's Web page, and it is organized in a logical step-by-step order. This new edition updates coverage of new Web publishing technologies. Refined and reworked parts of the book to make it even more clear and straightforward for beginners. Amazon.com Review
If you want to get up to speed with HTML 4 quickly, SamsTeach Yourself HTML 4 in 24 Hours is a great way to achieve yourambitious goal. This title sheds all extraneous material and presentsa complete HTML 4 tutorial in 24 hour-long lessons.

The first fourhours of study serve to bring you up to speed with a basicunderstanding of the Web's architecture--even if you are entirely newto Web-page design. The author introduces you to Web pages, shows youhow to look at the source of any page on the Web, and explains how topublish to a Web server.

The book moves on with four chapters onpresenting Web-page text and four more on implementing graphics. Afterlaying an HTML foundation, the author discusses general Web-pagedesign issues and introduces you to multimedia components and evenDynamic HTML--a rather advanced topic. The tutorial wraps up withchapters on presenting, managing, and promoting your Web site andoffers you a peek into the future of HTML.

Throughout this book,generous language-reference tables and screen shots, as well asexercises, chapter summaries, and review questions help you gauge yourknowledge. This well-organized introduction impressively demystifiesWeb design. --Stephen W. Plain ... Read more

Customer Reviews (73)

Best HTML book for everyone
I read this book a few years ago when I knew nothing of HTML and it was an amazing experience.I read this book in the car on a 14 hour trip and on that 14th hour, I was already an intermediate HTML programmer.The book is broken down into 24 chapters that are each very detailed and smooth.Reading this book was almost like watching a good movie.After every chapter, I found myself wanting more.It was very hard to put this book down because it was exactly what I needed.My goal was to understand the concepts of HTML and to make very good and detailed websites.This book does it all.After I read this book, I immediately pulled up a plain text file and started typing in some code.Within a few minutes, I already had a full-blown webpage with images, tables,a centered header, and even an e-mail form (that did not include any CGI).After every chapter there are questions and answers about everything that was discussed.That helped me understand everything more and kept me from getting lost.In conclusion, if you want to be on your way with making awesome websites, this book is worth the price and worth 24 hours of your time.

The one and only Basic HTML Book
I searched high and low, paid gazillions of dollars on books and courses, they are all tough, expensive and difficult. Sams Teach Yourself Html 4 in 24 Hours is the best book I found.
It's easy to understand, gets you everywhere you want in HTML, gives you a free loaded practice web site, and it's inexpensive. The author has done a superb job.
If you are already acquainted with HTML and want to delve into it deeper, I would not recommend this book. If you're just about to learn html, get this book! You don't need anything else, trust me, it's the best!

Don't waste time and money!
Publisher and authors don't support this book. You can't find samples and web links don't work.

Really HTML 4 in 24 hours!
An easy computer text wrtitten for people who have no previous knoweldge about HTML.The book covers everything related to HTML 4 with an invaluable glossery.You can count on it to build your first home page after 24 hours of reading this book or perhaps less .Besides, it provides you with the secretes that you should know to evaluate web pages and good advice to build yours.

Perfect for all levels
Even though this is out of print now, buy it if you can find it. I took a class on web design a couple of years ago, but had little direction. I picked up this book and taught myself how to create whole websites very rapidly and aced the class. It goes over the very basics for someone just starting, as well as covering many tips for advanced users. You can learn how to make web forms for visitors to fill out, how to have music play on your site, and how to make buttons light up when the cursor is on it. Very awesome book. I am now being hired to design websites for other people. ... ... Read more

Product Description
This updated edition features all new HTML tutorials and revised information on using graphics tools like Paint Shop Pro, Fireworks, and Photoshop to enhance your Web site.The companion Web site provides downloads, additional feedback, FAQs, links to readers pages, Web site promotion strategies and tips, resources and tools links, and much more.Learn HTML In a Weekend, 3rd Edition, and its associated Web site comprise a one-stop-shop reference covering everything you need to know to create and publish effective, attention-getting Web pages using HTML, XML, and XHTML. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Helped me learn HTML a little better
A good book for someone that is starting out new trying to learn HTML.Good examples throughout the book along with CD Rom that comes with the book.

Not for me!
I expected creating a web page to interesting and exciting.This book is dreadfully technical and downright boring.

Learn HTML with this book!
This is the first book I've ever purchased on HTML - and it's still my most used.Though I learned it over many weekends, it was still just as effective.The lessons are the right length, and everything is explained very simply - but without oversimplifying or boring you.The files and (demo)programs on the disc are awesome.I still use some of the backgrounds from the disc today!And to dissagree with what another rewiewer wrote, you CAN learn how to make great, and partly complex webpages with this book.And yes, it is a beginners' book.But that's why it's called LEARN HTML in a Weekend; but like I said, I still use it as a reference book today.The extra lessons on working with graphics and other media are also great.If you are interested in learning HTML, or you've tried another book, and it didn't work for you, buy this book!

Great starter book and reference
After being given a project of designing & creating and complete web base document website for the company I work for I decided to start learning more about web development.I was pointed to the Weekend Course books by a friend and I must say that this particular book is excellent.

It is very well laid out and easy to read.I learned enough from this book to create a visual prototype of the final website interface in less than two weeks.

I definately recommend this book to any beginners or anyone that needs a good reference book.

Excellent Beginner's Tutorial
This 3rd edition is very different from the previous edition, which I skimmed in a bookstore. In this 3rd edition the author NO LONGER uses pre-packaged software (FrameIt and WebForms) to create frames and web forms, instead, you are taught using pure HTML, which is the way it should. I am somewhat new to HTML and wanted a book to teach me HTML in the shortest time possible. I completed this book in a weekend just like the title says, and found it to have a very personal yet concise style of writing that put me at ease with the subject. The author alerts you to many pitfalls and has excellent tips along the way. If a sentence brought up a question in my mind, sure enough, it was answered in the next sentence or two. This edition now comes with a short but excellent intro on Cascading Style Sheets and points you to sources on the web for more complete info... ... Read more

Product Description
This exciting and much anticipated third edition is updated to bring students the latest in HTML, conforming to XML and XHTML coding standards. Part of the Illustrated Series, this text offers a quick, visual, step-by-step approach for learning how to create, format, and enhance a Web page using HTML. The completely new real-world case scenarios and new content are sure to help your students grasp key HTML skills. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Poorly designed exercises, not current with today's browsers.
This text is required for an online course I'm taking through the local technical college. The exercises within each unit have you build 5 different Web sites, which you add to/modify as you work through the book. This method helps reinforce memorization of the various HTML tags one needs to learn in order to develop a basic site.

Although the text is comprehensive in introducing you to the various tags, the steps outlined in the exercises are confusing in how they are presented which makes it hard to follow along. The content could have been more streamlined and the steps broken out in a more reader-friendly manner. Be prepared to spend an average of 5-8 hours to complete a unit. Not so much because they're complicated, but because you have to read each step a few times to verify you understand what it's asking you to do!

Additionally, the "illustrated complete" title leads you think you'll be seeing a great deal of screen shots or images of code or completed pages, but there's not nearly enough to allow you to compare your work against.

With a copyright date of 2007, this book references HTML tags that have been deprecated by the W3C and aren't recognized by Firefox, Safari, etc. If you don't use/have an IE browser (which still recognizes most of the older tags) you'll have a hard time viewing some of the code on a live site.

As a student, I didn't have a choice in purchasing this textbook for my class, but if I were looking to self-instruct on HTML, this would not be my text of choice.

Student Review
If you were assigned this book for school like I was, I FEEL SORRY FOR YOU! I have always liked coding HTML for myself and my friends, so when I got the opportunity to go to school for Web Design I was naturally excited. My first coding class was Beginning HTML, so I looked online to find the required textbook for the class. I was put off at first by the numerous bad reviews this book received but, as I didn't have any choice, I bought the book anyway...

After six weeks of un-learning the proper W3C standards and wading through line, after line of confusing, disorganized code (working files that were provided), I had enough. Before reading this book, I could easily code a simple web site. Now, I am just confused. I have a 3.6 gpa, if that means anything, so it was not for lack of effort on my part!
DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK! If it's for school then you should file a complaint with your school's Web Design department.

Christian E.

Somehow helpful
I bought this book for a HTML class and it was very dissapointing. Even our teacher told us to disregard a couple of chapters because they were poorly presented and lacking information. I could not believe that I pay $69 for it. Still it contains some of the basic principles to get you started.

I want my 8 months back!
Wow I am pretty mad that this book was edited as many times as the author stated (8 pairs of eyes, I think they said) and it still had as many errors in it. I took the class online for the first time and our class average was a 38% because the text had so many errors and having to break the code on purpose to get it to work. I agree with the other poster about the same issues she had. I took the class again the following semester and I was one of 2 people who passed only because I learned from my mistakes of trial and error. My biggest complaint is besides the illistrated errors and typos in the text that confuse the reader, the asignments are pretty much just do step one then 2 etc and do not explain what's going on or why you are doing what it tells you to do. I know how to use HTML now a little better through practice, but I think surely this book could be a lot better with a new revision. I would not by this version of the book if you are a beginner.

Pro's lots of step by step examples, an interesting fictional website, some what helful Appindex with hex codes, tag listing for CSS, and HTML special characters.

Complete revision, Up to Date, Much improved
This exciting and much anticipated third edition is updated to bring students the latest in HTML, conforming to XML and XHTML coding standards. Part of the Illustrated Series, this text offers a quick, visual, step-by-step approach for learning how to create, format, and enhance a Web page using HTML. The completely new real-world case scenarios and new content are sure to help your students grasp key HTML skills.

Provides updated HTML examples that conform to XML and XHTML coding standards, and new real-world case scenarios keeping your students up-to-date.

Offers content for a full-semester HTML course.

Includes two new units on Creating Links to Web Pages and Other Files and on Cascading Style Sheets.

Offers a quick, visual way to learn the very latest features of HTML, including how to design and create a Web page, formatting and adding graphics to a page, creating forms, tables and frames, and more.

Helps you prepare for your course with ease using the extensive Instructor Resources available with this text.

This new edition was just released in March and is up to date with the newest standards. The explanations are easy to follow and the illustrations lead the reader to the task presented.

This book introduces the beginner to HTML coding and no GUI editor is used or required. The reader gets to understand the content by seeing and doing.

Used in college level courses but it is successfully used in k-12 schools and for home users.

All reviews prior to March, 2006 are not for this book. My students and I love the book and I am sure you will too. ... Read more

Product Description
This BASICS series text, updated to include the latest information on JavaScript and HTML, provides an easy-to-follow, step-by-step introduction to all aspects of HTML and JavaScript programming. Topics covered in the book include HTML organization techniques, HTML power techniques, using images with JavaScript, and using forms with JavaScript. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

HTML and Javascript Basics
My son needed this book for school and we received in time for school. Great service!

Not worth it
The books code uses depreciated HTML standards such as the font and center tags. The code is not well documented either. The JavaScript examples also lack good code structure. Some of the reference links in the book are dead. Aside from the many negative things about the book it has some good tips and the book layout is not to bad. The binding in the book is also decent. Each page is lamented so you will have extended life from it even if you spill stuff on it. Overall I would not recommend this book to a beginner because it will encourage them to use depreciated methods and coding.

the basics of web pages
Web pages are written in HTML, and Barksdale teaches this for an absolute novice. Hopefully, you should find it easy to follow. HTML's rapid success was due in no small part to this ease of use. It is also not a procedural language, though sometimes it is mistakenly called that. What Barksdale shows about HTML is that it is a declarative language. That is, you say that certain text should be written in a given colour or font style or size, and at a certain relative location on the page. You tell the browser what you want shown, and it has to implement that.

But Barksdale goes beyond HTML. As a display language, it is very limited. Whereas he shows how you can use JavaScript as a client side [ie. running on the browser] language, to perform actual programming tasks. JavaScript is a good functional complement to HTML, as you might appreciate. ... Read more

Product Description
Provides a comprehensive look at the HTML 5 standard as implemented by the top 5 browsers i.e. Opera, Chrome, Firefox, IE and Safari. It covers HTML 5 Structure, Semantics, SVG/MathML, WebForms, Canvas, Native Drag & Drop, Browser History Management, Inline Document Editing, Cross Document/Domain Messaging, Offline Applications Caching & WebDatabases, Audio & Video & Related Tools, GeoLocation, Local & Session Storage, Server Side Events, Workers, Web Sockets. Besides providing practical real world examples for each of the features each chapter contains explanation of the HTML 5 specification for each feature so that you understand what can be expected when they are implemented fully by the browser vendors. Also includes explanation of plugins and third party libraries used in HTML 5 development. We shall be using the JQuery Javascript library extensively. Also web socket chapter contains examples using Netty and Jetty to create WebSocket Servers. It is intended for developers, QA, analysts and architects who are building next generation web applications using HTML 5 and are tasked with analysis, development and QA of such systems. It is also intended for students and freshers who are planning to take up web application development or leaders who want to understand how HTML 5 can be capitalized upon. This can be used as one single reference and guide for any future web application development as far as HTML is concerned. When this book is published it will be the first book available worldwide on HTML 5. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Not enough information
Nearly all of the book was dedicated to simple examples of HTML 5 with pictures in different browsers, I was looking for more information about the differences between HTML 5 and HTML 4.There was also no information about CSS3 or if the ECMAScript standards were changing.Sadly my expectations were higher than the book delivered.

It has become apparent that knowledge of the updates to HTML 5 is practically useless without also updated CSS and JavaScript knowledge.I will be waiting for the specifications to finalize before I buy another book on this subject. Also, the next book I buy will cover all three standards in much greater depth.

A Good Start
I am a developer, but I know nothing about the HTML5, so this book sounded perfect for me.

It's a very quick read: I read the whole book (< 250 pages) during a 3 hour ride back home this weekend. The prose is clear with very little fluff. The author went through the specification with plenty of examples and straight forward explanation.

I was able to grasp most of the HTML5 specification pretty quick. The chapters specifically GeoLocation, Web Storage and Server Sent Events are very interesting and the examples are very straight forward.

Since this is a first a book on HTML5, I did not have lot of expectations from this book, but definitely exceeded my expectations. Now I am excited to start developing my web application using HTML 5.

I would strongly recommend this book to everyone interested in HTML 5.

Save your money
This book is the biggest waste of money. I suggest you wait until the other HTML 5 books are released and save your money.

Apologies
Hi Joseph,

This is Aditya the author of this book. I'm extremely sorry about the mess over the kindle version. I had uploaded a fully formatted PDF, something would have seriously gone wrong in the conversion to kindle. I will try to fix it over the weekend and/or get in touch with Amazon to figure it out.

In the meanwhile please send me a test email on aditya AT adityayadav DOT com and I will send you a DRM free PDF copy of the same thing. And hopefully to compensate for the bad experience please allow me to offer you any one book of your choice from []


I would also like to take the opportunity to make the same offer to anyone who has purchased the kindle version. Please send me an email with a snapshot of proof of purchase and I will send you the PDF version of this book and also any one book of your choice from the above two links. If they are not already published I will send them to you as soon as they are published should you choose.

I am offering you two books for the price of one but I cannot revert the bad experience and frustration you might have encountered. I hope you will forgive me.

Sincerely
Aditya Yadav
[] (Anyone who prefers a PDF version instead of the Kindle version can purchase it from the books section on this website)

An utter mess
Unfortunately, this book is a complete mess.It looks like the author wrote the whole thing -- text, code samples, lists, tables and all -- in Microsoft Word, saved it as plain text, then had Amazon convert that to Kindle format.It is absolutely awful.The book text and sample HTML are often in the same font, crammed together on the page or worse.Tables and lists are all over the place, impossible to read and often have unprintable characters.

I should say that this may be the fault of amazon.The hardcopy version may look fine.But this review is for the kindle version specifically.I am sorry to say, this is the worst $45 I have ever spent.DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK.At least, not for the kindle. ... Read more