Tuesday, July 03, 2007

[BOOK REVIEW] CSS MASTERY

Ever get the feelings like some publishers are all the same? Their books just don't effectively communicate(probably like this blog). Friends of ED aren't one of them. At least so far. A second book from them I've read is CSS Mastery. This book hits the target of teaching and understanding CSS. Not only does the author teach of understanding of CSS but also about many of the quirks regarding browser bugs. I've been doing web pages for about 9 years now. Still there is always more to learn. This book no matter your level of knowledge has something for you. I tend to read books cover to cover no matter if they say you can just read that chapters you need. I always learn something. So I read them all. CSS Mastery has taught me a lot and I find it an invaluable source for CSS. It now sits next to my desk along with the other useful books. Instead of in the garage with the why did I buy these books? I would encourge you all to check out this book and get a copy.

Book: CSS MASTERY: Advanced Web Standards Solutions
Authors: Andy Budd with Cameron Moll and Simon Collison
Publisher Friends of ED
Barns and Nobel


The Next book to follow this one will be somewhat different. I'm attempting to learn more about graphic design. So that when I take someone else's design and code it or modified it to fit some customer need I can keep with their design. Also I would like to be able to design my own site and have it look like a graphic design designed it.
The book's name is Designing with type by James Craig. The should be interesting.

[BOOK REVIEW] HTML MASTERY

HTML Mastery is a book for beginners or old hats and everything in between. I've read any books on HTML and mostly they say the same thing. "here are the tags, this is what they do. I hope you enjoyed our book." Thats about as helpful as a dictionary. Sure their good when you know what your are looking for and just want a limited scope of information. What about if you want to understand more about the tag and how it behaves in different browsers. Not just the behavioral in each browser but how about an understanding of how to wrote good code( I use the term code loosely regarding HTML). Good code is easy to maintain. You aren't worried about making one change and screwing everything up. Easy to read and to understand from an outsider. This book as it all. One of the best I've found for understanding HTML and how it works. Sure HTML is simple
at first but as you built your skills with JavaScript, CSS and HTML you learn just how quickly your page or web application can get complex. I recommend a purchase of this book to anyone who needs or wants a deeper understanding of HTML.

book name: HTML Mastery - Semantics, Standards, and Styling.
author: Paul Haine
publisher: Friends of ed
Barnes and Nobel