The Web Page Design Cookbook: All the Ingredients You Need to Create 5-Star Web Pages [With CDROM]

I'm not a web developer or designer by any stretch of the imagination, but I do a lot of HTML page development and maintenance, with some light javascript programming thrown in on my own web site. I started in January 2000 with an account for a personal page, Notepad.exe and a quick reference card. I learned basic HTML in the process, but also created an eyesore. As my technical skills evolved the ugliness of my creation remained the same. I swallowed my pride and got this book. It was one of the best purchases I ever made. For a total beginner this is a good first book because it steps you through creating your first page, then adding features and using advanced HTML as you progress. For someone who is already proficient with HTML and has developed a few pages, you may find something useful in the advanced techniques and will certainly receive an education in good web page design. Some of the highlights of the authors' approach to design are in the examples. The accompanying CD ROM has every example in HTML format so you can see how they will display in your particular browser brand and version, and you can look at the code and play with it to see how your changes will display. This alone is a real time saver, and it makes this book all the more useful.If you are a technical writer the examples for web pages that provide how-to procedures, troubleshooting procedures, on-line lessons and survey forms reflect good page design and the example files on the CD ROM can be immediately used as templates.The only thing that detracts from this book is that it's woefully out of date. Some of the tools provided on the CD ROM are ancient, as are the discussions on various desktop operating systems. For example, Windows 95 was not even on the market when this book went to press and the authors' discussion on network issues were educated guesses. Now the network facilities built into desktop operating systems are so transparent that this section of the book can be safely ignored. However, we also live in a world where HTML has evolved to version 4, cascading style sheets are used on many sites (not to mention Macromedia Flash, Active Server Pages, more sophisticated java and javascript, etc.), rendering a lot of the technical aspects of this book quaint. On the other hand, that might not be such a bad thing since the best web pages are simple and more focused on design instead of a bunch of technical razzle-dazzle. But, I would love to see this book updated to reflect contemporary tools and techniques for web page design because I like the way the authors' impart their knowledge. This book would make an excellent text for a web design 101 class, and is one of the best for those of us who play around with this stuff. I'm subtracting a star because the book sorely needs to be updated, but am still giving it my highest recommendation.

This book is an excellent choice for individuals hell-bent on implementing a website. It details the elements of website creation in a clear, cookbook fashion. Those looking for advice or information on the process one goes through in successfully developing and implementing an e-commerce website need to look elsewhere. Anyone wishing further information regarding this book, or small business websites in particular, should feel free to email me at [email protected] - Robert Davidson

A general how-to-do-it book which contains a very detailed walkthrough of the whole process presented in a friendly style. The authors encourage the keeping of careful records and suggest the use of a master spreadsheet to show file organization and naming conventions.

I love my computer! My eight to twelve hour working day is spent in front of it. Much of my home time is too. But when I read a book I don"t want it to be about computers. Thats why "The Web Page Design Cookbook" really filled the bill for me. My web page has been under construction for more months than I care to mention. Too busy to learn html, too mind boggled to read a technical book, my page was a constant reminder of my procrastination. This book and the CD that comes with it provided the incentive. Want music, animation, video on your web page - its all here. With easy to use templates and examples its a cinch. This one is a winner!

If you have never written in Hypertext or you are now using Hypertext, this is the book that gives you not only basic HTML usuage but also advanced techniques to help you create cool WEB site pages. The CD accompanying the book is worth the price alone. Simple easy to understand with outstanding specific examples of how to create Web pages. We learned HTML with the cookbook in a few days.