Rating: 
Summary: An excellent starting point
Review: I purchased this book to assist my staff come to terms with Dreamweaver. I think it's an excellent beginning, and even picked up some helpful infomation for myself too.I would highly recommend this book and would have given it 5 stars if it had a chapter on how to integrate with Fireworks. This book is well written and and has lots of diagrams too. Unlike other books I've had over the years, Dreamweaver MX Training from the Source allows you to engage at the point where you want to engage and do the lesson(s) you need. Other books mistakenly presume you've joined them at Lesson One. Another feature that I like is that in each chapter there are sections of explanation, instruction, notes and tips. This means if for example you are "brushing up" on a particular topic, you don't have to read the whole chapter to get a sense of what is being said, the explanation section may be enough.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Dreamweaver starter
Review: I was familiar with pre-MX versions of Dreamweaver, and this book allowed a great refresher course that cleaned a few cobwebs and taught many new features along the way. Teaching method very similar to hands-on projects/case studies in college; the best method to learn the myriad of the software's capabilities is to apply it! Included file disk makes it easy to skip ahead to lessons for more advanced users (i.e. each lesson comes with its up-to-this-respective-lesson's files, such that lesson 10 does not require you to successfully complete lessons 1-9; just copy lesson 10's files!) For those users looking to start a static website (v. dynamic...do a simple websearch if you don't know the difference) this book is a GREAT starting point. Taking your site to the dynamic level will require - prepare yourself for this - the "DYNAMIC Applications" edition (book 2 of this series). I could not help but pick this book up as well. For intermediate users, expect the "time approximation" for each section to be a conservative measure. I find that if it says it will take an hour, I usually get through it in 30-45 minutes, pending restroom breaks. One word of advice: the entire project may seem overwhelming looking at its entirety. However, breaking it down lesson by lesson, you will find that the piecemeal approach avoids the intimidation factor associated with the overall project. It's quite impressive to finish the series and look back to from where you started!
Rating:
Summary: A Good Place To Start
Review: If you are looking for a book to help you to learn the basics of Dreamweaver MX, then you have found it in this one. The chapters and lessons are well-designed to teach the concepts. Back when I got this book, I was already very experienced with web design and tools, but not with Dreamweaver. This book teaches both Dreamweaver and a lot of basic web design concepts. So, I was able to skim over some sections that were too basic and still gain familiarity with DW. The time estimates for each chapter were a bit too generous. I finished one chapter 45 minutes faster than they had estimated. Others were closer to being accurate. It makes sense that the time estimates would be off by some amount, depending upon the level of the reader. Some of the chapters have an "on your own" bonus exercise at the end where one can apply the skills they just covered to building a web page with no step-by-step instructions. That is where you will find out if you were paying attention in the earlier parts of the chapter. Don't skip these bonus lessons! I needed a way to get up to speed with DW and this book did the trick. Dreamweaver simplifies a lot of tasks that I had been performing manually, so learning it has made me more efficient in my work. This book, and Dreamweaver, are great investments for people who desire to craft attractive web sites in less time. The return on investment was almost immediate for me. The book pays for itself quickly.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Place To Start
Review: If you are looking for a book to help you to learn the basics of Dreamweaver MX, then you have found it in this one. The chapters and lessons are well-designed to teach the concepts. Back when I got this book, I was already very experienced with web design and tools, but not with Dreamweaver. This book teaches both Dreamweaver and a lot of basic web design concepts. So, I was able to skim over some sections that were too basic and still gain familiarity with DW. The time estimates for each chapter were a bit too generous. I finished one chapter 45 minutes faster than they had estimated. Others were closer to being accurate. It makes sense that the time estimates would be off by some amount, depending upon the level of the reader. Some of the chapters have an "on your own" bonus exercise at the end where one can apply the skills they just covered to building a web page with no step-by-step instructions. That is where you will find out if you were paying attention in the earlier parts of the chapter. Don't skip these bonus lessons! I needed a way to get up to speed with DW and this book did the trick. Dreamweaver simplifies a lot of tasks that I had been performing manually, so learning it has made me more efficient in my work. This book, and Dreamweaver, are great investments for people who desire to craft attractive web sites in less time. The return on investment was almost immediate for me. The book pays for itself quickly.
Rating:
Summary: You want to learn Dreamweaver, get this book!
Review: If you are looking for a straight forward tutorial to teach you to not only create a webpage, but to manage the site and its contents then this is for you. It takes some time, but it gives you an understanding of how to create a webpage that is respectable and something you can display and be proud of. Personally, I am launching a clothing company and I have built a website using this. Of course, if you want a more sophisticated, interactive site then you need to graduate to ColfFusion or Fireworks, but there is no mistaking, this is a great starting point.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a good book for beginners.
Review: If you have read Flash MX Training from the Source...then you should know there're lots of missed information on this book. The instructions are not very clear. Many places don't even point out where the tools are. This maybe a good book if you already know Dreamweaver. Not recommanded for new users.
Rating:
Summary: Good price
Review: If your going to Fairleigh Dickinson University and taking up Web Essentials you will need this Book the price is Great
Rating:
Summary: The Perfect Starting Place
Review: Like many of us, I have dozens of this type of book for all sorts of software applications and development tools. My prior HTML experience is light, and I have used FrontPage, but I would still classify myself as an HTML novice. With that said, I believe that this is the perfect book for beginners and novices of Dreamweaver MX. After installing Studio MX for the 1st time, the first thing I did was crack open this book and get started. I am now in the middle of Lesson 9 (Templates), and have developed a solid understanding of the concepts covered to this point. Not only have I been completely satisfied with the book, but the MX version of Dreamweaver has been flawless so far - incredibly solid and intuitive. The examples do not bog you down with typing/developing too much - but they illustrate the concepts quickly and succinctly. I am anxiously making my way through this book in order to start my small company's website! The book and software are highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Best one available right now, but probably not for long...
Review: The "Training from the Source" book is a pretty solid coverage for a beginner. I was looking for a textbook to adopt for a beginning course at a community college and this one was chosen. Others will probably be better a few months from now (Like "Dreamweaver MX Hands-on Training" for example) but my class couldn't wait. If you can't either, this is a good way to get started. It isn't error free nor is it the most gentle introduction I've ever seen, but it does a credible job of covering a wide range of topics in a tutorial based style that works well for beginners or those that are moving from another product. I might question the ordering of topics a little -- for an absolute beginner, its coverage of tables in lesson 4 followed by behaviors in lesson 5 is a little earlier than I would have wanted -- frames and forms for example aren't introduced until lessons 10 and 11. But again, it is the best I've seen currently due to many publishers taking their sweet time to get things right (presumably). FYI: at the beginning of each tutorial lesson there is an estimate of the time it will take you to complete it. Their estimates are very optimistic at best. If it says 1 hour, it is more likely 1 1/2 to 2 hours, and I'm not a beginner. By the way, regarding the files on the CD which someone earlier mentioned -- it is just the typical Windows behavior and is easily resolved using Windows Explorer or My Computer or even Dreamweaver MX itself. The CD's files themselves are perfectly fine and not to worry.
Rating:
Summary: Best one available right now, but probably not for long...
Review: The "Training from the Source" book is a pretty solid coverage for a beginner. I was looking for a textbook to adopt for a beginning course at a community college and this one was chosen. Others will probably be better a few months from now (Like "Dreamweaver MX Hands-on Training" for example) but my class couldn't wait. If you can't either, this is a good way to get started. It isn't error free nor is it the most gentle introduction I've ever seen, but it does a credible job of covering a wide range of topics in a tutorial based style that works well for beginners or those that are moving from another product. I might question the ordering of topics a little -- for an absolute beginner, its coverage of tables in lesson 4 followed by behaviors in lesson 5 is a little earlier than I would have wanted -- frames and forms for example aren't introduced until lessons 10 and 11. But again, it is the best I've seen currently due to many publishers taking their sweet time to get things right (presumably). FYI: at the beginning of each tutorial lesson there is an estimate of the time it will take you to complete it. Their estimates are very optimistic at best. If it says 1 hour, it is more likely 1 1/2 to 2 hours, and I'm not a beginner. By the way, regarding the files on the CD which someone earlier mentioned -- it is just the typical Windows behavior and is easily resolved using Windows Explorer or My Computer or even Dreamweaver MX itself. The CD's files themselves are perfectly fine and not to worry.
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