HTML 4 for the World Wide Web: Visual QuickStart Guide

Having been in the HTML world now for a number of years, I am constantly looking for better references and tutorials. Elizabeth Castro has done both with this excellent book on HTML. Again and again I find myself turning to this book to find ways of doing things that I used to do in JavaScript (the "Gee I Didn't Know HTML Would Do That!" syndrome). What I like most is the format of the book; an excellent index allows the reader to easily look up specifics. The book contains some of the following chapters: Text Formatting, Images, Layout, Links, Lists, Tables, Frames (a big problem area for a lot of web programmers, well presented and explained here with some pretty neat hints and tips), Forms, Style Sheets (happily, this is heavily explained with four chapters dedicated to it's many facets), Scripts (wow! An HTML author who finally admits there are other languages out there! The author even spends a little time on the basics of JavaScript, however, she stays true to the focus of the book, only showing enough to wet the appetite before moving on), debugging (this is another biggy rarely covered by HTML authors, again well done here). The author spend some time even on publishing a web site. The problems and solutions to getting: a domain name, web host, transferring files, getting listed on search engines, etc. Several appendices: Tools, Special Symbols, Colors, and Tag Compatibility are covered. The index is very well done. This book is a must buy for any serious web developer.

Thank Ms. Castro. I bought your book about 2 years ago and I began a small web business and today I have dozens of web sites on the net. I did this part-time with little other investments. I estimate I have made 30K or more. The best part is I am still using the book for quick reference. I gave the book to my brother and he became a web master of a internet company. I Asked for the book back and then passed it to a cousin who now has your new book. Your book changed our lives. Now that is the best review I can give. Thank you for a clear, concise, visual book that helps the novice become the master.

First of all, many books go into way too much detail in explaining the concepts of HTML. Most of the material in the thousand-pagers are useless. Ms. Castro cuts to the chase, presenting brief and accurate explainations of HTML tags, style sheets, and the creation and use of images that work on the web. The only other book on HTML that I've purchased in the past were the "for Dummies" volumes a few years ago. I put them down shortly after being bored to tears and severly discouraged. HTML seemed like a vast subject. In fact, it's the easiest language (if you can call it that)to learn on a computer. ANYBODY can write HTML code and Ms. Castro proves it in this book. A wealth of examples is provided on her website for each chapter. Don't miss out on this. WYSIWYG web site programs are nice. But, the real control comes from coding the HTML (with a WYSIWYG editor if you wish). You can do it. This is the book to get. Note to WordPerfect users: if you've ever used the Reveal Codes command in WordPerfect (I used ver 5.2 long ago), then HTML will come easily for you.

It's been said before, but this book is not only the most effective guide to learning HTML, it should also be the template for all such guidebooks. The book is not padded out with silly cartoons, nor does it have obscure and useless charts. This book is lean and mean. The fat content is EXTREMELY low. Each and every task that might be undertaken by a webmaster is outlined in 1 or 2 pages. The editors were brutal in stripping out anything extraneous. You will have a page up inside of an hour and unlike most other guides, this is actually NOT hyperbole. I do this stuff for a living and 2 years after first cracking open Castro's book, I still use it for reference, even as the other $45 HTML books collect dust. Yet another exceptional addition to the Visual Quickstart series. (Jeez, sounds like I'm getting paid for this!)

Elizabeth Castro's clear and concise book is an absolute must for HTML beginners. Seasoned web page designers will also find it useful as a quick reference guide. Everything a beginner needs to create excellent web pages is included. Elizabeth tells you: All about the HTML tags needed to produce pages that most 'readers' will find visually appealing. How Netscape and Internet Explorer differ and how they will display your page. Information about other HTML tags outside the 3.2 HTML standard. Great tips on images and colours including a fold out colour chart. Tips on how to test your page, including taking into account those 'readers' who do not have all the latest software. However, one of the key features of this book is how well Elizabeth and Peachpit Press have organised its layout. The pictures on each page are small but very readable and they add so much to the usefulness and enjoyment of this book. I wish more books would do this. The other plus is the size of this book. It is very portable and I now take it everywhere - well ....... So, well done Elizabeth and Peachpit Press, I look forward to other titles. To everybody else, get out (or dial in) and buy this book - I'm glad I did - and no, I am not on commission, related to the author or awaiting the publisher's feedback for MY book!