Rating: 
Summary: Omissions Diminish Usability as Reference
Review: There are numerous problems with this book as an HTML "reference." First, an irritation for anyone using this book as a practical reference to look up tag details is that looking up tags is needlessly inefficient. They're supposedly all in the 250-page Appendix A, but to find one you have to go to the Appendix A section in the table of contents at the beginning of this bulky 1100-page tome, look up the page # listed there, then go to that page. The obvious alternative would be phonebook-style page headers showing the first tag name on each page so readers could locate a tag of interest directly. Why wouldn't a tech book publisher have this figured out? The cover says "up-to-date for latest versions" of Netscape and IE without specifying dates or version #'s. The printing date is hidden in the ISBN code. I find this practice questionable. Although pages 7 and 682 say all documents should begin with <!DOCTYPE>, this tag does not seem to be fully described anywhere. The syntax suggested on p. 682 (with a single pair of quotes) conflicts with the HTML 4 examples on p. 60. The book cover trumpets "comprehensive" coverage of HTML 4 as well as: "extensive details on Cascading Style Sheets 1 & 2." One could be forgiven for figuring this means fairly full coverage of CSS. However, the preface draws a distinction between HTML and CSS, speaking of "HTML 4 ... _along with_ new technologies that affect HTML, such as CSS ..." and announces an intention "to do one thing the best I can: cover HTML." The implicit disclaimer is not idle. Whatever the process that upgraded the previous edition to this one, this book is by no means a comprehensive reference for CSS.
Rating: 
Summary: THE complete reference.
Review: Simple really ... Great for beginners to advanced authors
Rating: 
Summary: Great Book For All levels of Sit Design
Review: I've made several web sites, and I am pretty much fluent in HTML, Javascript....and have learned a great deal about producing a decent site. This book has is not just a reference, it has site theory which will open a lot of peoples eyes' whom have already produced web sites in the past. I consider this book more of a course instead of a reference book which one refers to when they need to know a certain tag or command to get what they want. The reason why I gave this book 4 stars, is becuaes this is the only html book I thought was worth buying (esp. compared to other HTML books which ran up to 60 dollars) and have not read any other books on this subject. I would suggest this book to anyone who is interested in Site design....I think the name is wrong when it says html complete reference, it does have an excellent reference section but the material in it is invaluable to any type of site your making and with any type of language/script you are using.
Rating:
Summary: Most complete book about HTML i've ever seen.
Review: This is just the best HTML book I've got my hands on. Just about everything about HTML techniques you could think about is covered in this book. StyleSheets, DHTML, forms, frames .. it's all covered. a MUST have for the HTML-creator The 99 edition is even better than the 98 edition, because the overviews are now sorted by browser, instead of alphabethically.
Rating:
Summary: This is an invaluable reference book!
Review: I've taken a few classes from Thomas Powell and, while I always thought this book was good--now, as a more seasoned web developer, I find it to be an *excellent* reference guide. (If you're in San Diego, try to take one his classes at UCSD Extension...he's an outstanding teacher.)
Rating:
Summary: Everything webmaster needs to know.
Review: If you think Microsoft FrontPage is an HTML editor, don't read any further, go look for something else. For those who really code HTML, this book is a must. It is THE COMPLETE HTML REFERENCE. The book contains both teaching and reference chapters. It describes which code is going to work on Netscape Communicator 4 and 4.5, Microsoft Internet Explorer 4 and 5, and WebTV. Buy it, it's everything webmaster needs to know.
Rating:
Summary: WORTH TWICE THE PRICE!
Review: This is an excellent resource for all levels of web developers. If your goal is to code your first home page, however, I would recommend Elizabeth Castro's HTML 4 FOR THE WORLD WIDE WEB. After you read her book, move up to this book. You'll be an expert coder with professional results. Buy this book. It's worth twice the price!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Guide, A MUST HAVE
Review: I've taken classes with Thomas Powell as the instructor and I must admit that this is a MUST HAVE BOOK for anyone who does web page design. It is full of examples as well as detailed descriptions of the inner workings of HTML, DHTML and XML.
Rating:
Summary: A comprehensive and "user-friendly" guide to HTML/DHTML
Review: "HTML: The Complete Reference, Second Edition", by Thomas A. Powell Our NST/Engineers company reviewers found this over 1000 page compendium to be an ideal training text and desktop reference for a wide spectrum of web page designers. Individuals working to improve company intranet and extranet communications will be well-served by the examples given of code and scripting followed by what you can expect to see. Professionals seeking guidance in advanced HTML, DHTML, XML, and related internet savvy can expect to increase their understanding of these cutting-edge technologies. We found excellent coverage of the pitfalls of page preparation without knowledge of the differences between popular browser capabilities. The browser versions expected to be in common use for the next few years of Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, WebTV, and a few others, and how to allow for their different interpreting capabilities , is covered throughout the book. Hundreds of pages of appendixes explain what you can and can't do with HTML elements and style sheets. The function, power, and use of Java Script in its several variations are explained with examples. Author Thomas A. Powell, an expert Web consultant and Internet applications teacher at University of California at San Diego, explains the centrality of HTML while predicting changes that XML and other methods may bring in the future. He cites lots of free online Web sites, at all levels, to augment material in the book. We found the writing style, loaded with useful examples and stabs of humor, to be an easy read. This is a body of knowledge that must be understood at higher than an entry level by industrial, academic, and small business practitioners alike who see the need for an effective Web presence.
Rating:
Summary: Great Reference
Review: Powell put it all together and made a heck of a book. I have read many books on HTML 4, but this outdistances all of them by far. Two thumbs up!
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