HTML: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition

Amazon.com

Cascading Style Sheets can put a great deal of control and flexibility into the hands of a Web designer--in theory. In reality, however, varying browser support for CSS1 and lack of CSS2 implementation makes CSS a very tricky topic. Cascading Style Sheets: The Definitive Guide is a comprehensive text that shows how to take advantage of the benefits of CSS while keeping compatibility issues in mind.

The book is very upfront about the spotty early browser support for CSS1 and the sluggish adoption of CSS2. However, enthusiasm for the technology spills out of the pages, making a strong case for even the most skeptical reader to give CSS a whirl and count on its future. The text covers CSS1 in impressive depth--not only the syntactical conventions but also more general concepts such as specificity and inheritance. Frequent warnings and tips alert the reader to browser-compatibility pitfalls.

Entire chapters are devoted to topics like units and values, visual formatting and positioning, and the usual text, fonts, and colors. This attention to both detail and architecture helps readers build a well-rounded knowledge of CSS and equips readers for a future of real-world debugging. Cascading Style Sheets honestly explains the reasons for avoiding an in-depth discussion of the still immature CSS2, but covers the general changes over CSS1 in a brief chapter near the end of the book.

When successfully implemented, Cascading Style Sheets result in much more elegant HTML that separates form from function. This fine guide delivers on its promise as an indispensable tool for CSS coders. --Stephen W. Plain

Topics covered:

• HTML with CSS
• Selectors and structure
• Units
• Text manipulation
• Colors and backgrounds
• Boxes and borders
• Visual formatting principles
• Positioning
• CSS2 preview
• CSS case studies

Reviews From AMAZON.COM

Not disappointed nor give over approval

I bought this book for one reason, to get a basic understanding of CSS. Getting an overall view of CSS and some examples gets done in this book. In depth of CSS, don't know. I can get a deeper understanding by searching the web. I was looking for some basic discription and examples and I got that. I read some of the other views, agreed "The Definitive Guide" is a bit much. I would think that the book would be a lot thicker wiht that title. I would probably buy it again under the same circumstance.

Short Review of CSS Definitive Guide (2nd Edition)

If you have some experience creating web pages and have a reasonably good grasp of HTML and are really serious about getting deep into CSS, this would be a really good book to do that with.

On the other hand, if you're looking for a CSS cook book or for a basic CSS tutorial for beginners, this is not the book for you.

While not a CSS expert, I've been using CSS to develop websites for a number of years. I've found this book most valuable in deepening my understanding of CSS.

If you want more detail, you could take a look at my somewhat longer review on the Oakland Perl Mongers site.

George Woolley of Camelot.pm and Oakland.pm