Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML by Eric Freeman, Elisabeth Freeman Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML
Book Review: Start to Finish in One Week!
Summary: 5 Stars
Having read many reviews on many books in my search to find one (or more) which helped me really get a handle on handcoding, I tried this one. Boy, am I glad I did! I have worked my through the entire book - and understood and remembered (most) of it - in just days. I have marked three or four pages which I will continue to use for reference, but an awful lot has already stuck. There are lots of bits I shall be going over as I put them into practice, but this book has given me a comprehensive overview and then the instructions with which to make it work. So often you want to learn how to do something, but without an idea of what is actually possible you don't know to ask "How do I ... ?" This book has given me that overview, and then the answers. I shall be keeping my eye on other books in the series as I become more proficient and start to expand my horizons: I know I will be able to learn from them, and would thoroughly recommend this book to even a complete beginner.Book Review: A bit overly trendy, but good!
Summary: 4 Stars
After returning to 'raw' HTML after a break of nearly a decade I found I lacked an understanding of HTML and CSS. This book gave me that understanding. It's a simple as that.
The book layout was slightly annoying to a jaded non-trendy like me, but that is my only critisism.
The learning techniques in the book seemed to work -- especially the crosswords at then end of every chapter.
I plan on buying more book in this series.
Book Review: Superb
Summary: 5 Stars
I have just started reading this book and so far it is superb, its broken down into easy bite size chunks and doesn't make assumptions or assume you know certain things like other books do. It tells you in a way that makes it stick in your mind more, with exercises at the end of each chapter to test what you have learned. I think it is the best tutorial book I have read (so far anyway) and I will be looking out for others in the seriesBook Review: Pages mostly filled with white space.
Summary: 2 Stars
I just can't make up my mind about this book, or rather the style of the Head First series. It certainly is easy to read for an airhead like me with poor concentration and difficulty learning complicated material, but so much of it is just waffle that I find myself skimming it for the useful information. The best thing the book does is to make new concepts accessible, almost as if you are being guided by a patient friend. Unfortunately, it is let down by the unfunny jokes and pictures that appear over and over again. Even if you don't skim the book, you will be amazed how quickly you can get through it, but that's because the pages contain about 65% white space. Surely this is a waste of paper ?
OK, maybe I am being over critical. After all, the book does set out its stall very clearly and aims to pump ideas directly into your brain, bypassing the usual rational thought processes. However, I just don't think the authors have succeeded completely in implementing this sort of mnemonic learning style, if only because the imagery and games are too dull and repetitive to really stick in your mind. It is difficult to assimilate something like a new language when the learning is spread out and constantly interrupted by devices that disrupt your progress through the book. You do start to think "Oh no ! not another blasted crossword." Overall, the book has the feel of something put together like a scrap-book on a couple of rainy Sunday mornings.
I would probably try something similar again, but in this instance I gave the book away before getting into the CSS part in favour of a more standard text-book from the same publisher. Incidentally, O'Reilly publish pocket references for both HTML and CSS, (the latter by Eric Meyer) which would be invaluable if the Head First book was the only other one you had.
Book Review: Fantastic 'must have' book if you are trying to get your head around web design
Summary: 5 Stars
Forget the rest - this is the best. I have learn some web design techniques over the last few years, but have always been afraid of the 'coding' bit, and I got away with it using Dreamweaver, but now I want to learn CSS, I realise that much of the basics of html I didn't understand. I am on chapter three of this book and it really is filling in all the gaps in my knowledge, that I feel confident that when I get the the CSS/XHTML sections I will understand it too.
It is unlike any other book on the subject that I have read. All the other books seem to assume that you know lots of things - and those are the things that I don't!
With this book, I reckon that my mum could build websites after reading it. It is a revolution in learning, so if you struggle with the big picture, then this is the book for you.