Product Description

As both the Web itself and the browsers used to navigate it mature, work-arounds that compensate for the myriad factors that affect Web page appearances no longer cut it. Users expect Web pages to look beautiful regardless—and with the fifth edition of this popular Visual QuickStart Guide, readers can make their Web pages comply. By following the generously illustrated, step-by-step instructions that are the hallmark of the VQS series, readers will be creating 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 lots of 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 the reader's growing knowledge plus info-packed appendixes, a comprehensive index, and plenty of screen shots and code examples make this a must-have reference. For anyone interested in knowing HTML—from those just getting their feet wet (no prior HTML knowledge is required) to professional Web site developers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1279 in Books
• Published on: 2006-08-31
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 456 pages

Synopsis
Appropriate professionals or amateurs who want to learn HTML quickly and get up to speed with the new features, fast. With HTML for the World Wide Web, Sixth Edition, with XHTML and CSS: Visual QuickStart Guide, readers can start from the beginning to get a tour of the language, or look up specific tasks to learn just what they need to know. This task-based, visual reference guide uses step-by-step instructions, and hundreds of screenshots to teach beginning and intermediate users HTML. Best-selling author Elizabeth Castro takes readers step-by-step through today's HTML and XHTML essentials and provides extensive coverage of CSS techniques, current browers (Opera, Safari, Firefox), creating pages for the mobile Web, and more. Both beginning users, who want a thorough introduction to HTML, and more advanced users, who are looking for a convenient reference, will find what they need here - in straightforward language and through readily accessible examples.

About the Author
Elizabeth Castro has written numerous books, including the best-selling Perl and CGI for the World Wide Web- Visual QuickStart Guide, XML for the World Wide Web- Visual QuickStart Guide, and the four previous editions of this best-selling title.

Customer Reviews

from a very keen newbe to HTML and CSS
I can not recommend this book highly enough. While I am sure the professionals find it's lay out too simple. IT WAS IDEAL FOR ME! I have had it now 3 weeks and have just published my first web site and it looks good!! Can't believe it!

Clear concise layout with easy to follow instructions on things that really are complicated. (Trust me I have three other books that make it look like code that only people with degrees in computer science could understand!)

If you can't get a basic page up and run by the end of this book I strongly recommend you pay someone to do it for you.

It has made me keen enough to perhaps get a book that goes into some of the areas in more detail now that I have the grounding knowledge.

But saying that I still think this book will always be close to hand as a quick reference point for many years to come.....

Difficult read
I'm afraid I have to agree with other reviewers that have criticised the writing style of the author in this book. She seems to be targeting the beginner with an introduction of how the internet and world wide web evolved and what a web page is but then the actual instructions dive right in at a deep end of assumed knowledge. I have some knowledge of computing but am not an expert by any means. I bought this to accompany an evening class I am attending but I am finding it a hard read. Not one for the complete beginner but might work as a useful reference book when I acquire a bit more knowledge.

The raw information. Up to you to make sense of it.
OK, I'm not a complete idiot, I taught myself basic html bit by bit in short spurts at my local bookstore without ever buying a book. Now I wanted to start understanding a bit more about XHTML and CSS, so I asked for this book for Christmas.

It has turned out to be one of the worst written 'teach yourself' books that I have ever read, and by golly, I've read a few. What kind of teacher uses jargon in the first chapter of her book to explain more jargon? Instead of using simple examples involving nothing but the elements learned in a given chapter, she introduces code that hasn't yet been covered as illustration!

One might expect some kind of systematic order in a book this expensive... otherwise, you might as well go to any random techie website (some of which are actually much clearer than this book!) and hope that some reccurent piece of gobbledigook will start making sense after enough repetition. Same experience, a hell of alot cheaper!

The information is there, which is why I give it two stars instead of one, there's just not way for a novice to access it. ANd if you're not a novice, then you don't need this book. I expect a book that anounces itself as 'quickstart for beginners' to to the teaching for me in layman's terms, not for me to have to assimilate all the information before being able to start making sense of it for myself and processing it so that it becomes useful. Believe me, try something else. This is poor.