Books for/about - cascading style sheets

The Zen of CSS Design: Visual Enlightenment for the Web (Voices That Matter)

Publisher: Peachpit Press
Authors: Dave Shea Molly E. Holzschlag

ISBN: 0321303474
List Price: $39.99
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Summary: The art side of web design
Yes, I admit this book is not as technical as one would think when thinking about books on CSS. However, this book has opened up my eyes to the art-side of web design like no other book has. I've read "art" books, and I've read "technical" books. This book brings me the best of both worlds, looking at the art side of technical websites.
I recommend this book for those who have faith in the art side of web design and don't just see them making boxy websites for corporates for the rest of their life.

Summary: 5 Stars... Buy this Book. CSS IS about DESIGN.
Hello -

As a college web graphics, HTML, and CSS instructor with a history in graphic design, there is not greater book (especially combined with a careful review of the actual website the book is based upon) written on CSS that brings out its strength in design.

How ironic that the critics here are upset that it spends so much time on design. That's the point. Most web developers DO NOT study carefully the principles of graphic design and how to apply them, so they miss its power (not just Beauty... but the power to persuade, among other things).

I disagree that there is not enough CSS explanation in the book, though it is probably not the book for a total beginner. If you have written a bit of CSS code in your pages, AND what to learn what design is all about then you will understand it, and this is an invaluable book. Be sure to take the time to visit the CSSZenGarden.com site and chew on the concepts with the real examples.

Summary: ESSENTIAL Reading For ALL Web Designers
'the Zen of CSS design' by Dave Shea and Molly Holzschlag is one of the most important web design books on the market today. The word Zen is truly the right way to describe this text, as it is laid out so carefully and calmly, you can't help but feel your heartbeat go down and your tension decrease as you enjoy this wonderful text.

Using examples developed on their own web site csszengarden.com, the authors study a myriad of different approaches, the decisions that were made when developing each of these sites, and the ways that CSS can easily be altered and modified by the web developer.

Looking at all the facets of web design from font selection, image choices, tables, color picking, etc etc etc this is the perfect resource for anyone that is in charge of designing a web site which is being used as an online application, corporate web site, or even a personal site. The authors combine years upon years of experience to produce a guide that is informative, pleasing to read, and calming to look at.

ESSENTIAL buy for all web designers that want to learn the difference between a good web site and a great web site. Learn that sometimes MINIMIZING maximizes a users experience and discover how to get there with this exceptional book.

***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

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Stylin' with CSS: A Designer's Guide

Publisher: New Riders Press
Authors: Charles Wyke-Smith

ISBN: 0321305256
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Summary: Finally, a book on CSS I can understand!
Great book for someone venturing into the world of CSS. The author is very good at explaining how things work, why they work, has good analogies and some web history to boot. He also explains what doesn't work with some browsers, and how to work around that (if possible). I can finally start using CSS beyond basic formatting here and there. I'm looking forward to getting his next book as well!

Summary: All of the essentials are here.
Title: Stylin' with CSS
Author: Charles Wyke-Smith
Publisher: New Riders
ISBN: 0-321-30525-6
Pages: 265 pages
Reviewer: Philip High
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I admit it. I'd rather read a really good "How To" book than the latest "Whatever Code" adventure. And for me, this title did not disappoint. Early into the attractive and logically designed pages I would have enthusiastically given out 5 stars. Unfortunately I had to pull back from that a little for a couple of reasons I will go into later. Still, for content and readability I would not hesitate to recommend this book.

I have been using CSS styles and style sheets for 6 or 7 years via Macromedia's Dreamweaver. Yet, I always felt I wasn't really maximizing their potential. And after reading this book I confess, I was basically clueless! Now I am enlightened; let the brethren rejoice. From now on, content and presentation will be safely segregated in my brain and on my web pages. Well, actually it might take a while to reach this Valhalla, but such is the quest of "Stylin' with CSS."

All of the essentials for implementing the power of Cascading Style Sheets are here. From basic text styles to total page control, including multi-column fluid layouts with drop-down roll-over menus floating in the horizontal center of a vertically tiled background image -- Charles Wyke-Smith has got you covered. And any "deeper knowledge" not encoded here is conveniently referenced in the text and in the many, actually informative, sidebars. Can I get a witness?

Yes, the information is abundant. But, what really sets this book apart is the writing. The style is both clear and entertaining with the lessons building skillfully and solidly on each other. Code examples are helpfully separated from the text by paragraph style, font, and color, with new lines highlighted in red each time they are added. The author also makes use of the time-honored teaching technique of "tell 'em what you're gonna tell 'em - tell 'em - then tell 'em what you just told 'em." Sound boring and redundant? Actually it's very effective and herewith handled transparently so that you don't even mind having your ignorance thrice pummeled!

I also appreciated the writer going beyond just the "how" of rules to include illuminating bits of "why," such as the move to XHTML and the rationale behind a "web standards" approach that separates content from presentation (to accommodate multiple platforms and media). And, do you know what pseudo-classes really are besides esoteric cryptology? They are styles that cause rules to be applied dynamically when certain events occur! Amazing!

Now for the stale bread and whiney part. The subtitle says this book is written for designers (i.e. me) but the examples are less than inspiring visually. I know, it's for clarity and focus. But at least a little "dazzle" would help to motivate the sometimes nodding back row. Thankfully there are some inspiring sites referenced for your own research. OK, forgiven. But the worst sin is that the glorious path to stylistic freedom is littered with piles of typos! I'm not just talking about the odd gum wrapper here. Sometimes it gets a little confusing and definitely distracting. Perhaps this is the result of contemporary budgets and schedules that have replaced hands-on editors with spell-check, but maybe we should reconsider and S L O W D O W N just a little.

I realize I point this out at my own peril as a frequent offender myself, but then nobody is paying to read this! To be fair, this is not the only book or publisher that suffers in this way. It's practically a trend! The author has gracefully acknowledged the problem on the related website and asked for feedback to improve the next edition. That website, by-the-way, also contains very helpful downloads of the written examples. So heaven smiles again. Final judgment -- if you are a designer with beginning to intermediate web building skills and are interested in the fundamentals of CSS -- get this book. Amen.

Summary: Stylin with CSS - A Designer's Guide Book Review

Title: Stylin' with CSS - A Designer's Guide
Author: Charles Wyke-Smith
Publisher: New Riders
ISBN: 0-321-30525-6
Pages: 265 pages
Reviewer: Philip High
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

I admit it. I`d rather read a really good "How To" book than the latest "Whatever Code" adventure. And for me, this title did not disappoint. Early into the attractive and logically designed pages I would have enthusiastically given out 5 stars. Unfortunately I had to pull back from that a little for a couple of reasons I will go into later. Still, for content and readability I would not hesitate to recommend this book.

I have been using CSS styles and style sheets for 6 or 7 years via Macromedia's Dreamweaver. Yet, I always felt I wasn't really maximizing their potential. And after reading this book I confess, I was basically clueless! Now I am enlightened; let the brethren rejoice. From now on, content and presentation will be safely segregated in my brain and on my web pages. Well, actually it might take a while to reach this Valhalla, but such is the quest of "Stylin' with CSS."

All of the essentials for implementing the power of Cascading Style Sheets are here. From basic text styles to total page control, including multi-column fluid layouts with drop-down roll-over menus floating in the horizontal center of a vertically tiled background image - Charles Wyke-Smith has got you covered. And any "deeper knowledge" not encoded here is conveniently referenced in the text and in the many, actually informative, sidebars. Can I get a witness?

Yes, the information is abundant. But, what really sets this book apart is the writing. The style is both clear and entertaining with the lessons building skillfully and solidly on each other. Code examples are helpfully separated from the text by paragraph style, font, and color, with new lines highlighted in red each time they are added. The author also makes use of the time-honored teaching technique of "tell `em what you're gonna tell `em - tell `em - then tell `em what you just told `em." Sound boring and redundant? Actually it's very effective and herewith handled transparently so that you don't even mind having your ignorance thrice pummeled!

I also appreciated the writer going beyond just the "how" of rules to include illuminating bits of "why," such as the move to XHTML and the rationale behind a "web standards" approach that separates content from presentation (to accommodate multiple platforms and media). And, do you know what pseudo-classes really are besides esoteric cryptology? They are styles that cause rules to be applied dynamically when certain events occur! Amazing!

Now for the stale bread and whiney part. The subtitle says this book is written for designers (i.e. me) but the examples are less than inspiring visually. I know, it's for clarity and focus. But at least a little "dazzle" would help to motivate the sometimes nodding back row. Thankfully there are some inspiring sites referenced for your own research. OK, forgiven. But the worst sin is that the glorious path to stylistic freedom is littered with piles of typos! I'm not just talking about the odd gum wrapper here. Sometimes it gets a little confusing and definitely distracting. Perhaps this is the result of contemporary budgets and schedules that have replaced hands-on editors with spell-check, but maybe we should reconsider and S L O W D O W N just a little.

I realize I point this out at my own peril as a frequent offender myself, but then nobody is paying to read this! To be fair, this is not the only book or publisher that suffers in this way. It's practically a trend! The author has gracefully acknowledged the problem on the related website and asked for feedback to improve the next edition. That website, by-the-way, also contains very helpful downloads of the written examples. So heaven smiles again. Final judgment - if you are a designer with beginning to intermediate web building skills and are interested in the fundamentals of CSS - get this book. Amen.

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	Dreamweaver 8: The Missing Manual (Missing Manual) Publisher: Pogue Press Authors: David McFarland
ISBN: 0596100566 List Price: $44.95 Amazon Price: $28.32 Usually ships in 24 hours Buy this book from amazon.com or from amazon.co.uk	Avg Cusomer Rating: 5 Reviews: Summary: Excellent Choice! This book was recommended when I signed up for a Dreaweaver workshop. I knew I could get a better price through Amazon, and I did--it was almost half the price! It was also very worth it. I especially like the fact that it contains tutorials so that I can see how to do the things described in the various chapters. I think it covers just about everything I need to know and maybe then some. I highly recommend this book. Summary: Find this manual!!! I admit, I am a techno-junkie. As a technical writer and web designer I buy all the latest software and try and keep up with all the latest languages and hardware to support my techno-habits. Whenever I purchase new software I also purchase 3-4 books on the subject as I am mostly self-taught when it comes to trying the latest things. I use Dreamweaver moderately for work and the last source of training I used was for version 4. I also took a Dreamweaver MX course at a local community college to get up to speed quickly on the newest features Dreamweaver had to offer, the course pretty much taught me what I already knew. To be fair I understand the ciriculum is pretty much pre-determined but I needed more than the basics or what I could easliy find in the help system. After attending a seminar by David McFarland, I did what I usually do and ran out to purchase his book on Dreamweaver 8 as many of the Dreamweaver 8 books had yet to have hit the shelves. To my surprise this time I would not need 3-4 books in order to fully utilize all Dreamweaver has to offer. This book was so clear, concise, and downright READABLE, I found tips and techniques I had never used before, nor read about in any of the other manuals or bibles. By the first chapter I had already resolved an issue I could find no information on anywhere else. I passed this book around at work and we now have 4 copies. Each of my co-workers have thanked me profusely for suggesting the book and use it frequently when working with Dreamweaver. Beginners will be walked through every detail of Dreamweavers interface and be up to speed and desiging quickly and efficiently in no time. Advanced user will also benefit in learning new features, tips, tricks and techniques and gain an in-depth knowledge of all that Dreamweaver has to offer. Mr. McFarland is obviously highly knowledgeable in his subject and such a pleasure to read that as you go through the contents of the book I can only describe it as having your own personal tutor standing beside your desk advising you each step of the way. I have not run into a question or issue yet that could not be solved by referencing the Missing Manual. I strongly encourage all users, beginner and advanced alike to purchase this book. If you have a question about Dreamweaver, it's in there. Summary: Heavy on detail, heavy on examples, and just... heavy! This is a really heavy book, and it's loaded with great examples, explanations, and illustrations. Unlike most Dreamweaver books, which stick either to basic, static web design or to advanced, dynamic pages, this book runs the gamut, not skimping on either (but certainly concentrating on the former). The chapters are organized logically, the chunks are reasonably small, and many of the chapters end with a very illustrative hands-on example to demonstrate the topics covered. Supplemented with on-line materials only available to owners of the book (for example, five chapters on PHP and SQL), the book covers almost everything, although a couple of topics (animation and frames) are available only as freely downloadable chapters from the prior (2004) edition of the book. The style is less formal than many other books, but the material is covered in depth and accurately, for the most part. Like almost every technical book, the book's first printing does contain a reasonable number of minor errors, so be sure to refer to the author's website and take note of the errata before digging in. The book is printed in black and white with no color plates, but this does not affect its usability at all. Despite the book's title, this really isn't a "manual" for Dreamweaver -- it's more of a primer. If you're an advanced user looking for a reference volume to provide a quick reference into every picayune detail of Dreamweaver, this isn't your book. This also isn't your book if you're looking for anything other than a first-pass introduction to ASP, PHP, or one of the other server models. But if you're a novice to HTML or a seasoned web designer making the jump from manual coding to the advanced WYSIWYG features of Dreamweaver and need a gentle immersion into the broad power of Dreamweaver 8, this is a great book to use. For this reason, this is easily my favorite Dreamweaver book. Summary:

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CSS Mastery: Advanced Web Standards Solutions (Solutions)

Publisher: friends of ED
Authors: Andy Budd Simon Collison Cameron Moll

ISBN: 1590596145
List Price: $34.99
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Summary: Useful book, but sloppy editing
This is quite a useful book, as has been well documented in other reviews. The tips are helpful, the examples are useful, and the typography and layout are easy on the eyes.

However -- and this is a big however -- the book is riddled with technical errors. The errata file, available for download from the publisher as a PDF file, currently runs a whopping 11 pages. While a small handful of errors in a technical book's first edition is inevitable, 11 pages is not a small handful for a book as thin as this. It's really inexcusable that so many errors -- some of them quite obvious -- made it past the editor.

Summary: Great content, could do with a quick reference section
I love the way Andy explains it in English from the very beginning of the CSS process. He provides step by step guides on how to achieve various standard layouts. One thing it could do with though is a quick reference guide that you can flip straight to later - I found it difficult sometimes to find the exact piece I remembered from when I read it last. I had to thumb for a while to locate it again. That being said, I could have used the index or even googled it!

Summary: a book that really teaches!
I have purchased many books on CSS in the past few years and this one is by far the best book I have read. I have books from many industry experts and often I find them too detailed and appear somewhat complicated. CSS Mastery simplifies the learning curve to CSS development in a clear, concise manner. The content in this book is elegantly and simply layed out, easy to read, and makes CSS learning a more comfortable experience. Very highly recommended, 5 stars.

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Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML (Head First)

Publisher: O'Reilly Media
Authors: Elisabeth Freeman Eric Freeman

ISBN: 059610197X
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Summary: Great place to start learning XHTML & CSS
I read this book cover to cover in a few weeks and can't believe how much I got out of it. The educational approaches the authors take really helped me absorb the content. I am very happy with this book and feel like I got more than my money's worth.

Summary: Wow. What an interesting, gripping read...
I am a big fan of Kathy Sierra's "Creating Passionate Users" Blog but never had an opportunity or context in which I could engage with Headrush.

But I am really into the Net and when I saw this book, I figured I'd give it a look through to understand more about web design.

This book KICKS BU**!! I have never had such a great time going through a book and no book has kept me so engaged with exercises , humor (yes, humor in a tech book) and crossword puzzles (you'll have to see it to believe it). So much so that I finished the entire book, all its exercises and quizzes and am actually looking forward to doing some web designs of my own.

Plus, I am looking forward to their PHP book. I already bought their Ajax book to keep me company for the next week. Jeez... I think they got me hooked.

Summary: Best Book on HTML and CSS
I first learned HTML several years ago but needed to update my skills to incorporate CSS. I have read several books on the subject - most of which gave me a headache within the first few pages! This book breaks it all down into easy-to-understand steps. They offer several different ways of learning the same material so that it actually sticks with you and provide exercises to help you master your skills. By the time you finish this book, you will feel confident in your abilities as a web designer. It is designed both for beginners to web design as well as for those, like myself, who need to update their skills. I think it could also be used very well in a classroom format.

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	Bulletproof Web Design: Improving flexibility and protecting against worst-case scenarios with XHTML and CSS Publisher: New Riders Press Authors: Dan Cederholm
ISBN: 0321346939 List Price: $39.99 Amazon Price: $25.19 Usually ships in 24 hours Buy this book from amazon.com or from amazon.co.uk	Avg Cusomer Rating: 3 Reviews: Summary: Handles CSS risks - But not deep enough I liked this book which helped me to understand the issues around rendering with stylesheets and XHTML. This is not helpful enough as the CSS and XHTML are rendered through JSPs and ASPs. The book falls short on explaining them and how these issues can be resolved at the web application level. If you are a JSP or J2EE developer involved with Web development, then you need to read "Core Security Patterns by Christopher Steel" that narrates the tricks, techniques and strategies for designing secure web applications. Summary: Pretty Good This book is great for those of you who have been learning and teaching yourself XHTML and CSS through experimentation and trial and error. It opens you eyes to concepts that many web developers ignore and clients don't even realize exist. It's sad how people just take websites for their face value and don't consider visitors who need to "modify" these websites (eg. make the text larger). This book shows you how to try your best to make the site functional for all types of users. However, it doesn't dive in the advanced territory. Andy Budd's CSS Mastery book would be a great next-book after this one. Summary: Great Book! This is my first time buying a CSS book. I was just using basic CSS before, but with this book I can definitely design much better. I would recommend this book to anyone who is trying to learn CSS. The writer makes learning CSS very easy. Summary:

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Cascading Style Sheets: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition

Publisher: O'Reilly Media
Authors: Eric A. Meyer

ISBN: 0596005253
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Summary: Not impressed at all
I read a lot of good things about Eric Meyers and people say he's practically like the king of CSS teachers or something. I read reviews from amazon about this book and decided it was time I read this book.
At first, it seemed like a good book, explaining core concepts of CSS to me. I've been using it for years, but never really had a book teach me everything, I picked it up as I went along.
However, as I reached further into the book, the topics became more complicated and his explanations became weaker and weaker. There are no practical examples. I was hoping to get some insight in the way certain code could be used but instead, this was more like a help/reference manual which made me wonder why I even needed this book in that case when there are great help/reference manuals all over the Internet.

I thought reading this book would make me like Mr. Meyer's apprentice, to learn from the master. It was like going to an experienced carpenter and being told "This is a hammer, u hit nails with it." and then leaving. I was looking for more like "this is a hammer, notice how if I hit it hard it causes a dent in the wood, but a soft touch allows you to keep an even wood surface, use least amount of energy and still get the job done."

I learnt more about CSS from other books that were nothing more than basic introductions.

Summary: A book on CSS principles, not a CSS cookbook
Meyer's book is addressed to web site designers who want a more thorough understanding of the principles underlying CSS. It presupposes some practical familiarity with (X)HTML and prior exposure to CSS. This should probably not be a first book on CSS. And look elsewhere if you're interested in a cookbook approach to design.

Meyer understands the complexities of CSS and has considerable experience with it, which makes this among the more useful books on the subject. Read this book if you want element by element, tag by tag discussion of CSS. Among other things, you will come away with a better understanding of the cascade, the box model, margins and padding, lists, and the differences between block and inline elements. Your coding is also likely to be cleaner. But if what you want is specific design tips for something like a three column layout with masthead and footer, you need a different book.

Things move so quickly in web design that by the time a book reaches the shelf, it almost invariably has a slightly dated feel to it. That's the case here, accentuated perhaps by the less than thorough content and organizational editing this book apparently received from O'Reilly Media. Its organization is too loose, and at times it is not readily apparent why some topics are placed where they are. Meyer also has a tendency to use certain phrases or style devices repetitively, which is at times only annoying but also sometimes frustrating.

That said, however, Meyer's book can help make the difference between really understanding CSS and just being able to use it. I learned a number of things that I was able to apply immediately and expect I will find more in Meyer's book as I return to it as a reference, which may be the best way to use it.

Summary: An absolute must for all web designers
If you're interested in throwing away tables and progressing into using XHTML and CSS for web design, this is an essential reference. It can be read cover to cover and in typical Meyer style, is easy to read and very simple to understand. I'd recommend pairing this with 'Eric Meyer on CSS' and 'More Eric Meyer on CSS'. This will act as a reference for the actual code whilst Meyer's other books walk you through actually using CSS in a variety of different ways. I keep this book on hand constantly while I'm working.

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Cascading Style Sheets: Designing for the Web (3rd Edition)

Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional
Authors: Hakon Wium Lie Bert Bos

ISBN: 0321193121
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Summary: Good Choice for the CSS beginner and up
This book is a well written introduction into the world of css and pinpoints key concepts of css. It's by far one of the most readable texts that I have picked up out of all the technical books I've read in my few years of being alive. The book lacks a little in having some references to an example on a previous page while the reference to it is one to pages after the example. This discrepency is understood though since it is hard to keep everything together and not spill out onto other pages when planning the layout of a book. Overall this is a good book on css, and I would recommend it to anyone wishing to start into css.

Summary: Good book but irritating typos
I would have given this book atleast 4 stars if it weren't for the misleading typos! here's a few - Chapter 6 Pg 127 refers to Figure 6.2 (which doesn't exist!) instead of Figure 6.3; Chatper 10 Pg 228 the example "H1 {color: #ff000 }" is plain wrong (needs a extra zero at the end) and will not work.

Otherwise, it is a very good book. I especially like Chapter 4 - describes CSS selectors in great detail.

Summary: Great resouce for new to css
ritten by the authors of CSS, at first I found it a bit heavy in dialogue and backgrounds. Not until you open the book to the index does one actually realize the wealth of information in the book. Do not expect this book to show examples of the next great page, but as a resource in trouble shooting it helped explain alot of questions I either was too lazy to look up in Dreamweaver Help or couldnt find the right type of answer elsewhere. My level is pretty much entry intermediate, but with this book, it took me a bit higher. I am getting rid of my introductory CSS books and using this one as my main go to guide.

CSS is covered in detail (20 pages on CSS colour alone) and the explainations are straight forward. The most valuable chapter is "Spaces around boxes". Running over 30 pages, this is a well thumbed section that explained to me where I was going wrong with a layout CSS I was doggedly trying to force to do what I wanted. Once I went through this section, it became clear my folly.

This book now has an honour of being well coffee stained and front and center on my resource shelf.

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