Rating: 
Summary: easy to use and very useful
Review: Keeping in mind that this is a "quick" reference, this book is organised well and very easy to use. When learning XML I had it by my side many times and almost always found what I was looking for. My only comment for improvement would be a more comprehensive index and maybe some a more suitable cover design (I am constantly pointing people to the text on the cover in order to convice them this is a book about XML).
Rating: 
Summary: doesn't worth the money
Review: man i hate this book. I can't remember a single paragraph that strike the point. after reading it, i am as confused as before.
Rating: 
Summary: Exactly what a Quick Reference should be...
Review: The "Quick Reference" in the book's title says it all: This is a dandy quick reference of the most generally used XML schemas (including XML Schema).If you have a reasonably clear idea what XML is and what it's used for, have a hazy notion of what XML schemas are, and need a quick overview or reminder of how the two are used together, then this is a book you'll reach for on a regular basis. Note too that the book is also delightfully current (as of March '02). If on the other hand you're looking for an XML or XML schema tutorial or for a comprehensive guide to all the subtleties and permutations of XML schemas, this isn't the book for you. As I said, the "Quick Reference" in the title says it all.
Rating:
Summary: Must have for XML professionals
Review: The Essential XML Quick Reference is a must-have item for any developers who work with XML. It provides a concise, easy to search reference for the core technologies of XML: namespaces, DTDs, XPath, DOM Level 2, SAX, SOAP, etc. The book is broken up by topics. For example, one chapter covers XSLT 1.0. The chapter begins with a concise overview of XSLT. A breakdown of some of the key XSLT concepts follows. Finally, the chapter ends with a reference to every XSLT element defined in the W3C standards. Where the book excels is that it is pure XML. It avoids getting bogged down in parser-specific issues, but instead addresses XML at a standards level. In the few places where language-specific sample code is provided, the samples are available for both the Java and COM worlds. Another strength of the book is in its coverage of two of the most exciting XML concepts: Schemas and SOAP. The schema coverage is split into two chapters. The first deals with the base schema types and how to create simple type. The second chapter focuses on complex types and schema extension. The SOAP chapter, like the rest of the book, stays focussed on pure XML and avoids discussion SOAP implementations from IBM, Microsoft, etc. It provides a great reference to the building blocks of a SOAP message. The only thing missing from this chapter is a reference for WSDL. One thing to keep in mind that this is a quick reference book. It will not teach you XML. This book is a great companion to the Essential XML: Beyond Markup book also in the DevelopMentor series.
Rating:
Summary: Exactly what a Quick Reference should be...
Review: This book covers all the essentials of XML quickly and with no distracting fluff. This is the by far the best XML book I have read, and I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This book covers all the essentials of XML quickly and with no distracting fluff. This is the by far the best XML book I have read, and I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Wide-ranging but brisk
Review: This books is quite good for covering a wide range of topics and concisely. But all the time you are reading the book, you get the doubt "What could I be missing?" - as the coverage of topics is so minimal and unattached. Though, at the end of the day, those topics require no more attention than that, to get to that wisdom it takes time and this book does not bother to get you that wisdom. Otherwise, this is quite a good book.
Rating:
Summary: Top-Notch Reference Material
Review: This is the most useful XML technology reference I've come across. I do own several books on this stuff ( including the droning and disjointed Professional XML from Wrox ), and this is the only one I ever need to take off the shelf. This is a concise and tight little reference book; examples are present, albeit short ones they do get the point across. The book's layout and organization make it easy to find information, and the typesetting offers enough contrast to let you scan a page quickly to locate the information you need. There is just a little background information on each technology - probably not enough to bootstrap yourself into a project without at least a little XML knowledge under your belt. It's a reference book, so if you already know what XML ( or XML-Schema, SOAP, SAX, or the DOM ) is you'll get the most leverage off of this book. Overall a great book to own if you're working on XML-related projects - especially if you've got a basic understanding of XML technologies and don't require the slow pace most books use to ease you into the technology like a old man getting into a bath. :) Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: The single most essential xml book I own
Review: This isn't a "textbook" of xml -- if you want a guided introductory tutorial, look elsewhere. But if you're anything like me, once you've got past the intro stage, you need a good memory-jogger and "explain-that-to-me-quick-just-one-more-time" resource at your side while you're working on a project. That's what this book provides, and it does it brilliantly, insightfully, and without the endless, distracting and generally useless drivel of many xml books. The explanations unfailingly come right to the point, and it's rich with short, helpful examples. It's obvious the authors have really developed in the real world! There is no book on my xml shelf that gets more use (and collects less dust) than this one. Buy it and you'll be glad you did. (I'm on my second copy!)
Rating:
Summary: a great book to have at your side while coding
Review: Who can remember all the little details surrounding XML? This book is a great summery of the most important XML technologies. It isn't a tutorial, it isn't for beginners, it's for "What's the name of that XPath function that removes excess spaces?" (normalize-space). Highly recommended for finding answers fast.
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