Rating: 
Summary: I'M RETURNING THE BOOK
Review: Mastering CSS requires a THOROUGH UNDERSTANDING of the nuances of every element and property. Unfortunately this book doesn't even attempt to cover this. As an example take the position property. When this property is set to "position:absolute" the absolute position is calculated RELATIVE TO THE CONTAINING BLOCK. However Keith doesn't bother to explain this CRITICAL DETAIL and just glosses things over by talking about positioning relative to the browser window (viewport). There's no excuse for his casual treatment since he's written a 900 page book! I would welcome recommendations on a book that REALLY elucidates CSS--but THIS book isn't the one. (...) and study the actual specification. Unfortunately be prepared for the sad reality that not a SINGLE VENDOR has actually supported this specification (SHAME ON YOU MICROSOFT!! You should be leading the industry here, not ignoring the spec now that there's no longer any serious browser competition.). This is one thing that Keith DID do well--he highlights what properties are safe for each browser version in use. It may well be worth the purchase price just to have this information. However if you, like myself, are looking for a definitive CSS reference that brings everything together in ONE volume (does such a book exist???) look elsewhere. So... for now its the W3C spec for me.
Rating:
Summary: I'M RETURNING THE BOOK
Review: Mastering CSS requires a THOROUGH UNDERSTANDING of the nuances of every element and property. Unfortunately this book doesn't even attempt to cover this. As an example take the position property. When this property is set to "position:absolute" the absolute position is calculated RELATIVE TO THE CONTAINING BLOCK. However Keith doesn't bother to explain this CRITICAL DETAIL and just glosses things over by talking about positioning relative to the browser window (viewport). There's no excuse for his casual treatment since he's written a 900 page book! I would welcome recommendations on a book that REALLY elucidates CSS--but THIS book isn't the one. (...) and study the actual specification. Unfortunately be prepared for the sad reality that not a SINGLE VENDOR has actually supported this specification (SHAME ON YOU MICROSOFT!! You should be leading the industry here, not ignoring the spec now that there's no longer any serious browser competition.). This is one thing that Keith DID do well--he highlights what properties are safe for each browser version in use. It may well be worth the purchase price just to have this information. However if you, like myself, are looking for a definitive CSS reference that brings everything together in ONE volume (does such a book exist???) look elsewhere. So... for now its the W3C spec for me.
Rating: 
Summary: I've used this book so much I broke its spine...
Review: That's how useful I've found it! There are some definite strong points with this book:
- It is comprehensive. Whether you want to review a particular style element, or just get a general overview of how something works, you can do either easily. If it's CSS, it's in here.
- It provides cross-platform examples. As frustrating as it is (are you listening, monolithic software companies?), even the most up-to-date browsers don't yet fully support the complete CSS1 & 2 standards. For each element listed, you get a handy chart showing the level of support ("safety") in the most widely-used browsers.
- It divides elements from CSS level 1 and level 2, which is helpful -- sometimes. (More below)
- The companion CD-ROM (included) contains the complete text, all HTML samples, and all images used throughout the book. Very handy to cut & paste when experimenting.
- It contains examples of elements & styles not yet supported by anyone (aural styles, various media, etc.). Some people have expressed frustration (why include this stuff if we can't even use it?). I'm glad it's there, because the major players *are* slowly incorporating the full standard, and I want to know how to make the best use of it once it's available. Now, the potential pitfalls:
- It divides elements from CSS level 1 and level 2 -- which is kind of frustrating if you're playing with a level 1 attribute, and you'd like to see what level 2 does with it, and it's not right there on the same page. A minor irritant, but still an irritant.
- It doesn't provide screen shots to illustrate *all* the elements it discusses. Again, a minor irritant, but worth noting.
- It presupposes a pretty good knowledge of HTML (and a basic understanding of CSS), despite being marketed as a reference for all skill levels. Beginners will be confused (try explaining the relationship between margin, padding, indent, and hang -- without confusing beginners!); but, then again, that is the nature of beginners. The confusion will be cured by experimenting, and re-reading the confusing parts.
- Another reviewer mentioned CSS examples that don't validate [properly]. I discovered that; I also found it depends on what validator you run it through. Apparently, some validators are requiring things not mentioned in the W3C official standard -- I guess they're taking lessons from the browser-makers. Overall, I think it is an excellent reference. As I said, I've used it so much that the spine is cracking & some of the more well-used sections now lay flat on the table (handy, but I'm sure not what the publisher had in mind with this particular binding). Beginners will learn a lot, and I guarantee that even crusty "veterans" don't know *all* the material that's presented here. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: More Disappointing On Every Reread
Review: The book didn't really teach me anything, and it makes for a lousy reference. I do not recommend it to either new or experienced CSS designers. Far better free resources exist on the web.
There's little discussion of external stylesheets, and instead it focuses on inline CSS (which is useful, yes, but not as useful as it could be).
The reference material in the back of the book doesn't refer you to related items, doesn't provide examples, and doesn't refer you to the pages in the main text which describe the reference item in more detail.
Prentice Hall has artfully concealed the lack of content in this book by providing a "Browser Compatibility" section at the end of every sub-section of the book. This pads every subsection of the book by 2/3 of a page. To pick an example randomly, Chapter 4 runs from pp. 53-80 (27 pages). There are nine of these "Browser Compatibility" pads, taking up around 6 pages in the chapter. This suggests that the book should really be about 80% as long as it is -- or, god forbid, have another big chunk of missing content to fix some of the lacks above.
Rating: 
Summary: A thorough guide to both CSS1 *and* CSS2.
Review: The expert Web developer's guide to Cascading Style Sheets: both CSS1 and CSS2! - Thorough discussion of CSS concepts and uses. - Comprehensive browser and platform compatibility information for "safe" Web page construction. - Extensive reference section, including comprehensive CSS1 and CSS2 element listings, code examples and more This example-rich book shows experienced Web developers all they need to know to achieve great results with the latest style-sheet technologies. The book provides in-depth coverage of both CSS1 and the recent CSS2 standard, taking care to explain the differences between the two. Understand key CSS2 families of properties, including aural sound-based) style sheets, automatically generated content, user interface properties and much more. This book is the most comprehensive listing available on CSS compatibility across browsers and operating systems, so Web masters can finally know what CSS properties are "safe" to use. Detailed appendices provide full CSS1 and CSS2 property listings, color palette information, compatibility charts and more. Keith Schengili-Roberts is the Webmaster for the Toronto-based software firm KL Group, and a long-time writer for The Computer Paper, Canada's largest computer magazine.
Rating: 
Summary: Poor index renders this book useless as a reference
Review: The index in this book is a joke and as far as I'm concerned it renders this book useless as a reference.
Rating:
Summary: Not a single sheet found - too bad I can not return it
Review: This book is a fairly good review of individual CSS properties, but it never talks about the whole purpose of CSS: having one page that can modify the look and feel of a whole site. If I have to use in-line styles throughout the app, why bother with CSS? When choosing a book on CSS, make sure it mentions external style sheets. I did not find anything about external CSS at all in this book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Reference for CSS
Review: This is book is the best book I found so far about CSS. There is one chapter for each Major property. One chapter for Fonts talking about how to set the Family, Size, Style, Variant, and Weight. Another chapter for Color and another for Borders and Units and Text and Boxes and the list go on and on. If you want to know about any particular property you'll find it and understand it in less than 2 minutes, gauranteed!! Personally I read the whole book in 1 week and learned a lot. I already know HTML and JavaScript very well and this book helped me to manage all my styles in one single file, I then included this file in all my web pages. A single change in this file will work for all web pages no matter how many they are. It's like magic! The preivew that was talking about inline vs external CSS is totally wrong. If you know how to write inline then you know external other wise sorry dude you don't know CSS. Summary: This book is for people who want a very simple and easy way to find out about any CSS property. I recommend that the person who buy this book should know JavaScript and of course HTML and basic CSS will be even better.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent overview for "new to CSS" webmaster
Review: This is sure useful for me: apart from the typsetting (a few too many fonts on each page, but that's really a very minor gripe) it's helped me understand CSS - what it is, what to use, and especially, what NOT to use due to browser incompatibilities. Recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent into and reference
Review: This is truly an excellent resource for webdesigners stuck in the dark, old HTML 4 days. The book is clearly organized, well indexed, and easy to read. While largely written in a textbook style, there are bits of humor that do not slow down the flow at all. Along with covering all CSS1 & CSS2 elements, Schengili-Roberts also previews the CSS3 specs, which should get you excited about the day when browsers decide to support it. Highly, highly recommended.
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