Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML
by Elisabeth Freeman, Elisabeth Robson, Eric T Freeman
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Book Reviews of Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML
Book Review: Superb
Summary: 5 Stars
Okay - 103 positive reviews so far - will my voice count? I feel I owe it to the authors of this book to express my thoughts. So, here's my review, which I also posted on the publishers' (O'Reilly) site.
I spent five years designing table-based sites using Dreamweaver's Design Mode, during which I aged 10 years and pulled a bushel of hair. Recognizing at last - doh - that CSS/XHTML would give me wonderful control, I purchased four books and grimly vowed that I would learn HTML or die.
As it turned out, the experience was not grim. Three of the books were quite useful - but this was, by far, the best. (The others were Creating a Web Page With HTML, a really good 126-pg. quick tutorial by Elizabeth Castro; and CSS: The Missing Manual. I found Elizabeth Castro's longer book, HTML, XHTML, & CSS, less useful, as it contained little material that wasn't covered in the Head First and Missing Manual books).
I was initially a bit dumfounded by the simple language of the Head First book, but quickly accepted the Freemans' explanation of the underlying tested learning principles. And, indeed, I learned better with this book. Occasionally, I'll need to look in the Missing Manual - e.g., it includes more information on workarounds for Internet Explorer. But in all other respects, this is simply a wonderful introduction to HTML for beginners. I think it would also be excellent for designers who want to learn the basics of coding.
I'm still using Dreamweaver, but I'm screaming much less.
Book Review: Great book, well structured.
Summary: 5 Stars
I wanted to have a nice website, but after inquiring at different companies to have a website designed and getting quotes ranging from $500 - $2000, I decided to learn to write and design my own website. I wanted to spend as little money as i could to get my website designed and published on the web.
I could have spent a couple of hundred of dollars on a piece of software like dreamweaver and the like, these software's have a nice user interface that structure and design your website. I wanted to learn why and how to build a website and not just how to use some software interface. After searching the web for HTML tutorials, I realized that I needed something a little bit more in depth. I went onto amazon.com and researched a few HTML books and the Head First HTML, CSS and XHTML caught my eye.
I like how the book is structured. Never did I feel overwhelmed or "in the dark". The humor though out the book makes this book very memorable and a lot less boring than other technical books. The book starts off teaching about HTML and how to structure. Then in the second half, it gets you to start using CSS to style your pages. Head First uses a few through out the book, it makes the reader relate to the subject at hand. Another feature I enjoyed about Head First is that they teach you to write proper syntax and layout your pages, avoiding you to relearn bad habits.
For the conclusion, this is one of the best investments I have made to write and design a good looking website.
Book Review: An EXCELLENT teaching guide to learning HTML and CSS!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Let me just start by saying that this book is NOT intended to be a reference manual! If you're looking for a book that simply tells you how to write a "div" tag or how to create a "blockquote" or what ever... then you should move on and look for an "HTML Bible", a SparksChart or reference manual!
Now with that being said, I've gotta say that this has been the BEST book I've read in regards to actually teaching HTML and CSS! Granted it is a large book and there are quite a bit of extras but it's all there to help you learn, understand what you're learning and remember what you've learned instead of simply throwing random lines of code at you with no way to relate them to anything. Also, the book is written in everyday english instead of tech speak while teaching you and explaining the tech speak at the same time. I made it through the entire book (including the intro and appendix sections) in just over a weeks time and learned more than I did in 15 weeks of online classes! One of the most helpful extras (silly as they may seem to some) were the "discussion" sections. These sections actually ask real world questions and give reasons as to why you should do something one way instead of the other just like you would expect to get in a classroom.
So in short, if you're a everyday / average Joe looking to learn HTML and CSS from scratch, THIS IS the book for you! If you're simply looking for a reference manual or you're a hard core programmer, you should probably look else where.
Book Review: The Best HTML/CSS Book You Will Find
Summary: 5 Stars
For those looking to learn HTML and/or CSS, you will not find a better book than 'Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML' by Elisabeth and Eric Freeman.
Period.
When I turned the book over to look at the retail price for this encyclopedia-sized guide, I had to look twice just to make sure I was reading it correctly, and that was just the price printed on the back cover, never mind the price you will find online!
Checking in at over 650 pages, this is the kind of bargain you just don't see any more. The # of pages for the price listed alone would make anyone interested in this book without even opening to the first page, but for those that do decide to start reading, you are in for an absolute treat.
Full color pages are the rule, not the exception in this guide, and the writing is absolutely fantastic. Clear examples, big print, highlighting throughout -- all I can say is WOW!!!
I've read a lot of HTML books and there are many good ones out on the market. But if you want to learn HTML the easy way at home without having to drive to a class, this is the closest you will get to having a web developer lecturing in front of you. Buy this book if you want to go from thinking the only web that exists is the one in your basement to experiencing the wonders of the Internet and how YOU can add to the virtual world with you own unique style and attitude.
OUTSTANDING!!!
***** HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECCOMENDATION
Book Review: Best way to get started with html and css
Summary: 5 Stars
Starting at the ground floor, this book propels the reader into the world of building web pages. Unlike the other Head First books, the audience is not restricted to experienced developers, but rather it is a kind of inclusive book. In the first chapter, instructions for using a basic text editor are provided. However, by the end of chapter 6, the budding webmeister is endowed with the ability to write strict HTML 4.01 and use the W3C validator. In chapter 7, the content is transitioned to XHTML 1.0. Chapters 8 thru 12 cover CSS. The last topics covered are tables and XHTML forms.
Although this is an introductory book, the authors cover some very important topics in a thorough way, hence the bulk. Upon completion, the reader will have a firm foundation to enhance his knowledge. I felt that the explanations of how the cascade works and how the box model is used were very well done. These appear to be areas of confusion for even experienced web developers.
True to form, the Head First team has made learning HTML and CSS fun and easy. The graphics in the book are in color which is welcome departure from the usual Head First format. The code examples which are downloadable from the web are not the usual fare. While there much more to learn, like more advanced selectors for CSS and client-side scripting, you can create some accessible, attractive, useful pages that present well in most current browsers with this book, which what we all after anyway, right?