HTML for the World Wide Web with XHTML and CSS: Visual QuickStart Guide, Fifth Edition

Rating:
Summary: Just like the web
Review: It works just like the links in the web, eg: forgot about how to add an image in a page, then go to page xxx. the instructions are short and precise. there are also useful tables that I look up a lot when creating a page. So there's no need to flip pages when I forgot the css or html tags. There's also pictures that accompony the instructions, which is quite useful.

Rating:
Summary: Lots of information
Review: While not for the complete beginner, it's an excellent resource for HTML programmers.

Many techniques and pitfalls are discussed, along with reasonably clear step-by-step instructions.

While highly detailed for the most part, some places are surprisingly lean. For example, the very important "class" attribute has only 2 references in the index, and is given very short shrift in the text. This will have some beginners scratching their heads, no doubt.

But overall, this book contains many valuable insights and is worth having in your collection.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent reference for beginners & advanced users
Review:
I have an honest confession, I'm a programmer, but I had no idea how to code HTML for some time. I first tried HTML for Dummies, but it was of no use. Then after reading the reviews, I tried this book and now I'm glad I did. This book has helped me to get up to speed in my web development projects. It's a great book to start with and also an excellent quick reference for those who already know HTML.

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Summary: It's simply the best place to start.
Review: Clearly written with easy-to-follow examples, Elizabeth Castro leads you through the basics of hand coding your site. Her friendly website offers comfort to the perplexed. I'm guessing her readers don't stay perplexed very long. I was stuggling with GoLive. My only regret is I didn't find this book sooner.It got me going and keeps me going.

Rating:
Summary: Informative and well organized
Review: This book is significantly better than it's sister book, DHTML and CSS for the World Wide Web. The book lays the foundation, step by step, for understanding HTML tags and how to use HTML and CSS to lay out your pages and to get them formatted the way you want. The examples are practical and based in the real world. The text is very easy to follow and is easy enough for beginners to use. And the reference portions at the end of the book are excellent.

Rating:
Summary: The best HTML guide available
Review: About four years ago I taught myself HTML with some guidance from a roommate who knew HTML. After I had built a small and sparse webpage I was given HTML for the World Wide Web (a predecessor to this book) as a christmas gift. I brushed it off since I learn better by doing and generally don't find manuals useful.

Later I started using it as a reference, because it has a really great index and the layout is such that it is easy to find what I want on the page. The descriptions of how to implement this and that are very easy to follow. So later when I started tutoring others in HTML I recommended this book to them. I am on my third copy now, the others having been loaned and drifted away.

If you want to learn HTML and are just beginning then buy this book. This is the only book you will need for a long time even after you have mastered HTML.

Rating:
Summary: the phone book of (X)HTML
Review: I purchased the book for one specific reason. To learn a bit about (X)HTML and CSS. This book did exactly that.
If you are looking for a book that will hold your hand step by step to create a website from start to finish THIS IS NOT THE BOOK FOR YOU.
This book is a learning tool for you to process yourself and apply as need be. If you are a programmer, like another review author found herein, you may be used to finding HOW-TO articles to execute specific tasks. You may find them here, but not in a specific order that will plainly walk you through any sort of step-by-step. The book is exactly what it states. A visual quick start guide that will help you understand what HTML and CSS are and how to use it.
THIS IS NOT A BOOK ABOUT WEB DESIGN, THIS IS A BOOK ABOUT MARKUP LANGUAGE! AND A GREAT BOOK AT THAT!

Rating:
Summary: This book got me started in the field
Review: Computer texts have improved greatly in recent years, but I've had a particularly good experience with the Visual QuickStart series. Elizabeth Castro's book helped me learn the HTML script in a matter of days. The learning curve was short and painless.

I would recommend this book for those who want to either make a personal website, make web programming your career or for those who have just been stuck with the job of maintaining the company website. The fundamentals of HTML and XHTML are laid out with very clear examples, with code snippets set alongside visual examples. This format really cuts down on the abstract concept of the technology.

All in all, HTML for the World Wide Web is worth the money many times over. The sections on CSS and XHTML are a new addition for the fifth version, so you have a really comprehensive resource beneath one cover. You will learn how to create websites, and you will learn quickly.

Rating:
Summary: Good Resource
Review: I purchased this book to learn a little more about CSS. I use it more as a reference book than anything but it has been very helpful in my learning process.

Rating:
Summary: Good but hard for students to follow
Review: I read the excellent reviews of this book, ordered it then adopted it for college level course as an intro to HTML after my other book went out of print. After 2 semester now I find the book is very difficult for students to follow to build their own web sites. Examples are not complete enought and I have to fill in a lot of things for my students. My students range from Junior and Seniors at a University to Grad students from a wide range of disciplines.

I now realize this book is not clear enough to really help those new to HTML.