to any one getting started with the creation of web sites. This book should be on the short list of books to read for creating websites. It covers more than html, and that is good. I benefited from reading it after having taken courses in web design and web programming. Reading it would be also be excellent preparation for taking a web related course. Several of its strengths are: it is co-authored by a graphic designer and techie/programmer (brother and sister), it includes a CD with the files referenced in the book, in includes an excellent html reference section, and there are a number of exercises. As many exercise as there are I would have liked more. The copyright date is 2001. I did not identify any soft spots but would estimate its shelf life will expire the end of 2003. That is the way it is with books about topics such as this. Even then it is should be a solid reference for a number of years.
Rating: 
Summary: Am I alone in thinking this is not a useful book?
Review: I did not find this book at all helpful.One major problem is that all the graphics techniques are for users of Adobe Photoshop 6 only. How many beginning web site designers own this particularily expensive piece of software? If you havn't got Photoshop 6, DON'T BOTHER TO BUY THIS BOOK. About half of it will be useless to you.
The other half - the coding side - is OK. Just. If you really want to learn HTML, there are other books that explain it more clearly and in greater depth. And Bill and Lynda's attempts to cover more sophisticated topics are so speedy that - in my humble opinion - they might as well not be there.
As for Lynda's inimitable style, well,whether you like it or not is a matter of personal taste. But my personal taste is not for twee brother/sister/father trialogues, nor for Lynda's inyerface instructions, as if she were the only begetter of web wisdom.
I havn't read her older books, the ones that are apparently well thumbed on every web designer's desks. But this budding web designer has definitely consigned her latest tome to the bottom of her extensive pile.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent reference for beginning web designers
Review: I hate to admit it - I have become a Lynda convert. As an instructor I am always looking for good reference texts and I have yet to see a Lynda book that has not been well written and comprehensive. My one and only complaint is that her books are targeted mainly for folks who are new to web design, so some of the in-depth, nitty-gritty details I might want to see (I've been building web pages since 1994) are sometimes lacking.
This particular text has several advantages over other web design books that try to be comprehensive and all-encompassing:
1) It's written in English, not "geek".
2) It includes lots of HTML source code with corresponding screen captures (mostly grey-scale) to demonstrate the effects of changing different attributes in the HTML tags.
3) It contains practical tips on typography, image optimization, and cross-browser compatibility.
4) You don't need a crane to pick it up. ;-)
If you have decided to enter the wacky world of web design, this text is a great way to get good information about the strengths and weaknesses of the web as a creative/artistic medium.
Rating:
Summary: Good Combination of Design and Code for Beginners
Review: I like the idea of combining a designer and a developer to create an HTML book. The "family reunion" at the front of the book is banal and adds nothing to the book, but once by that, it's pretty smooth sailing.
What the book successfully does is to show that creating a good Web site is not a matter of simply knowing the code but correctly preparing the graphics and working them into HTML. They use PhotoShop 6, but I was able to fumble through using an older version of PhotoShop and even Fireworks for readying the graphics. The exercises are helpful and simple enough for beginners.
Some of the chapters, like one on bullets and horizontal rules was a bit overblown even for beginners. However, the bulk of the book is a gentle path to working with HTML and graphics. The online site (Ducks in a Row) is only so-so design wise, and the CD files needed for the exercises aren't always complete but enough to work through the exercises. The chapter on transparencies in GIF files was excellent and contained lots of good information and exercises.
My favorite part of the book lies in the Appendices. The authors compile the tags and their associated attributes in several tables so it is a good reference for later use at a more advanced level. They did not include every Maverick tag and attribute that Netscape and Microsoft like to drop in but stuck with the W3C standard as far as I could see.
Overall, when a beginner is finished with this book she'll be ready for intermediate level material for developing Web sites, and if that is the book's goal, it accomplishes it nicely.
Rating:
Summary: Good Combination of Design and Code for Beginners
Review: I like the idea of combining a designer and a developer to create an HTML book. The "family reunion" at the front of the book is banal and adds nothing to the book, but once by that, it's pretty smooth sailing.
What the book successfully does is to show that creating a good Web site is not a matter of simply knowing the code but correctly preparing the graphics and working them into HTML. They use PhotoShop 6, but I was able to fumble through using an older version of PhotoShop and even Fireworks for readying the graphics. The exercises are helpful and simple enough for beginners.
Some of the chapters, like one on bullets and horizontal rules was a bit overblown even for beginners. However, the bulk of the book is a gentle path to working with HTML and graphics. The online site (Ducks in a Row) is only so-so design wise, and the CD files needed for the exercises aren't always complete but enough to work through the exercises. The chapter on transparencies in GIF files was excellent and contained lots of good information and exercises.
My favorite part of the book lies in the Appendices. The authors compile the tags and their associated attributes in several tables so it is a good reference for later use at a more advanced level. They did not include every Maverick tag and attribute that Netscape and Microsoft like to drop in but stuck with the W3C standard as far as I could see.
Overall, when a beginner is finished with this book she'll be ready for intermediate level material for developing Web sites, and if that is the book's goal, it accomplishes it nicely.
Rating: 
Summary: Perfect blend of art and tech - none better than this
Review: I purchased this book primarily to learn page layout and design, and to become more proficient with working with graphics. I got much more than I bargained for!
The authors have created a perfectly balanced book that will appeal to the artist and geek alike. I learned more about the artistic aspects of layout and design from this book than I have from a pile of others. I also received an in-depth education in the technical aspects of creating and modifying graphics, and a large number of techniques for having both graphics and speed - even over a relatively slow modem connection.
Other interesting things I learned while reading this fascinating book are how to effectively use fonts, colors and multimedia. Other techniques that I learned and quickly incorporated on my web page were Javascript rollovers, effective use of tables and forms. Before reading this book I though these topics would be difficult to learn. The clear explanations and procedures given by the authors made it easy. I also learned how to do image maps, which is not hard at all if you follow the procedures outlined in this book.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone from beginner to advanced web page developer because there is something in it for everyone. The examples on the CD ROM were invaluable, and the tables and references (not to mention tips throughout the book) make this my sole reference and the only one to which I now refer. Five stars for exceeding my expectations, making the difficult easy, and wonderfully clear writing.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect blend of art and tech - none better than this
Review: I purchased this book primarily to learn page layout and design, and to become more proficient with working with graphics. I got much more than I bargained for!
The authors have created a perfectly balanced book that will appeal to the artist and geek alike. I learned more about the artistic aspects of layout and design from this book than I have from a pile of others. I also received an in-depth education in the technical aspects of creating and modifying graphics, and a large number of techniques for having both graphics and speed - even over a relatively slow modem connection.
Other interesting things I learned while reading this fascinating book are how to effectively use fonts, colors and multimedia. Other techniques that I learned and quickly incorporated on my web page were Javascript rollovers, effective use of tables and forms. Before reading this book I though these topics would be difficult to learn. The clear explanations and procedures given by the authors made it easy. I also learned how to do image maps, which is not hard at all if you follow the procedures outlined in this book.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone from beginner to advanced web page developer because there is something in it for everyone. The examples on the CD ROM were invaluable, and the tables and references (not to mention tips throughout the book) make this my sole reference and the only one to which I now refer. Five stars for exceeding my expectations, making the difficult easy, and wonderfully clear writing.
Rating:
Summary: A Bible for HTML coding
Review: Lynda Weinman has again written a book that is a must for your library. She has teamed up with William Weinman and between them, they have written a clear and simple to follow and understand help reference for HTML.
The first thing you find upon opening the book is a browser safe color chart. There are 20 chapters beginning with Home Pages and including such things as buttons, alignment, style sheets rollovers and even how to get listed on a search engine.
There are exercises to do and then an explanation (understanding) of what you have just done. The authors have written out code and the publishers used a font face and size that is easily readable. A 57-page reference section defines tags and attributes, whether or not they are optional, the parent tags and a description of the item. A glossary, index and CD round out this clearly written and very useful book.
This book will find a good home on my library shelf. Be sure to add it to yours
Rating:
Summary: A Bible for HTML coding
Review: Lynda Weinman has again written a book that is a must for your library. She has teamed up with William Weinman and between them, they have written a clear and simple to follow and understand help reference for HTML.
The first thing you find upon opening the book is a browser safe color chart. There are 20 chapters beginning with Home Pages and including such things as buttons, alignment, style sheets rollovers and even how to get listed on a search engine.
There are exercises to do and then an explanation (understanding) of what you have just done. The authors have written out code and the publishers used a font face and size that is easily readable. A 57-page reference section defines tags and attributes, whether or not they are optional, the parent tags and a description of the item. A glossary, index and CD round out this clearly written and very useful book.
This book will find a good home on my library shelf. Be sure to add it to yours
Rating:
Summary: A great book for everyone - REALLY everyone!
Review: The book covers all the topics you may encounter while designing a web page, whether it's a simple personal one, or a complex site. The layout of the book is great, it's easy to find everything and includes a comprehensive HTML 4.01 reference. Lots and lots of examples in the book and on the CD, so you see everything in action while you're learning the techniques. Great for both beginners and those with a knowledge of HTML, because it is so comprehensive, you will no doubt find many many things that you haven't learned yet or are not aware of.
