Dreamweaver CS3: The Missing Manual
by David Sawyer McFarland
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Book Reviews of Dreamweaver CS3: The Missing Manual
Book Review: Worth every penny
Summary: 5 Stars
This may possibly be THE BEST how-to book of any kind I have ever owned and read. Unlike many of the other how-to books on Dreamweaver - which usually amount to not much than a very wordy version of the Quick Reference Guide - "The Missing Manual" contains everything I was looking for and more.
This book takes you through the WHOLE process of organizing and building a web site using Dreamweaver CS3. It does so in a very logical fashion with very easy to understand language. If you are (like I am) someone who has limited experience building a web site, this book will give you a very good head start. It explains to you WHAT are important and WHY they are important in Dreamweaver and in web design in general.
The included tutorials (the files need to be downloads from the author's web site) are very helpful, especially for beginners.
All in all, I couldn't be happier with this book. It was well worth the money to purchase it and the time to read it.
Book Review: Not for my personality....
Summary: 2 Stars
This is a verbose, somewhat unorganized book that could easily have been condensed to less than half the size the book. It has you referencing later in the book while mentioning something early in the book I think in an attempt to be cohesive but I found it irritating. I like bullet points but found it mostly in lengthly, overly wordy form. Just not my style. Now, with that said, once I am fluent, so to speak, in DW CS3, then perhaps I may refer to it and it may hold value to me then...not sure.
I won't mention this problem without a solution that fit for me. I bought Dreamweaver CS3 Video Training with Garrick Chow. This was an outstanding solution for me! Perfect. Everything you need to get started from start to finish with DW CS3.
I am absolutely new to Dreamweaver, and must note that as it may contribute to your expectations of what you want/need in supplemental materials to the DW program.
Book Review: In a word, "excellent!"
Summary: 5 Stars
I love this book (and its predecessors).
First, each chapter has a kind of 'theoretical' section at the beginning - not over the top - which is excellent for enabling the reader to really understand the topic of discussion. Good bedside homework!
Next, the tutorial section ... which is clear, concise and very easy to follow. All of the required images/webpages that the reader needs to complete the tutorials are freely available to download from the publishers. Fantastic.
Finally, this book is accessible but also comprehensive. Consequently, whilst you will be able to build a decent website after reading through the first nine or ten chapters, if you read on you will get to learn how to really jazz up your sites using forms, Flash elements etc.
Having stated that I prefer video tutorials over self-help books - this book has gone a long way to changing this opinion.
Book Review: A perfect introduction for an experienced computer user
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is exactly what I was looking for: a text to introduce the basic and advanced tools of Dreamweaver without bringing me all the way back to kindergarten. McFarland does an excellent job of providing detail to the point that his instruction is always straightforward without being demeaning or boring.
As an experienced computer user, I was able to get quickly up to speed in Dreamweaver CS3 with The Missing Manual. A+ instructional writing and tutorials! I recommend this book wholeheartedly.
Note: There are some errors throughout the text and tutorials, which I expect in any 1,000+ page technical document. Most of the errors are accounted for on the companion website. Furthermore, we often encounter small frustrations like these when designing for the web, so I think a little confusion here and there spices up the learning experience and is really just par for the course.
Book Review: Just like the cover says...
Summary: 5 Stars
..."the book that should have been in the box" ... This is a fantatstic, up to date reference I've returned to again and again while navigating my way through a program that on the surface seems unruly. Dreamweaver is like a 'pet' in that it's only as good as its owner, and every owner of this dog should have a copy of "the missing manual". Though this book is big, such depth allows it to be fluid and complete in both its information and conversational tone, which I like, for it is like being in a class with a well-versed teacher that can hold such conversation on all things techy, while never losing his audience of students, attending his class(es) for their useful content and great interaction. I would recommend this book for anyone either just learning Dreamweaver, and coming into the series at the new(er) versions of CS3, or for those astute to the Dreamweaver format.