HTML and CSS: Design and Build Websites [Paperback]

Jon Duckett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 8, 2011 | ISBN-10: 1118008189 | ISBN-13: 978-1118008188 | Edition: 1

A full-color introduction to the basics of HTML and CSS from the publishers of Wrox! 

Every day, more and more people want to learn some HTML and CSS. Joining the professional web designers and programmers are new audiences who need to know a little bit of code at work (update a content management system or e-commerce store) and those who want to make their personal blogs more attractive. Many books teaching HTML and CSS are dry and only written for those who want to become programmers, which is why this book takes an entirely new approach.

• Introduces HTML and CSS in a way that makes them accessible to everyone—hobbyists, students, and professionals—and it’s full-color throughout
• Utilizes information graphics and lifestyle photography to explain the topics in a simple way that is engaging
• Boasts a unique structure that allows you to progress through the chapters from beginning to end or just dip into topics of particular interest at your leisure

This educational book is one that you will enjoy picking up, reading, then referring back to. It will make you wish other technical topics were presented in such a simple, attractive and engaging way!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

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From the Author: Goals for this Book

Programming books can often look rather intimidating and uninspiring, but they do not need to be. We wanted to redesign the tech book and make it more accessible, relevant, and attractive to a whole new group of readers. The result is a book that feels more like a magazine and is enjoyable to flick through, and looks like it belongs in the graphic design section rather than the programming section of a bookstore.

• Large info-graphics are used to help simplify new or complex concepts


• Clean design and layout presents each topic on a new page for easy reference


• Printed in full-color, using a vibrant palette to distinguish different types of code


• Attractive code samples help you make beautiful web sites

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Review

'This beautifully designed manual explains how to use HTML in a concise readable format...A wonderful resource.' (.net, June 2012) 'A refreshing take on the subject. The title provides a great overview without feeling like a textbook.' (Computer Arts, June 2012)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (November 8, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1118008189
• ISBN-13: 978-1118008188
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 1 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (214 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #213 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Computers & Technology > Programming > Languages & Tools > CSS
  • #1 in Books > Computers & Technology > Web Development & Design > Web Design
  • #1 in Books > Computers & Technology > Web Development & Design > Programming

More About the Author

Jon Duckett has been helping companies create innovative digital solutions for over 15 years, designing and delivering web and mobile projects for small businesses and tech startups through to global brands like Diesel, Philips, Nike, Wrangler, and Xerox.

During this time, he has has written and co-authored over a dozen books on web design and programming.

Jon has not only written his his latest book HTML & CSS (design and build websites), but also designed the entire book from scratch. Dispensing with the traditional template of programming books, he wanted to present the information in a manner that is less intimidating and more relevant to those who have never tried to write code before. The result is a new, exciting way to learn about HTML & CSS presented in full-color, with plenty of info-graphics and photography that really make the title stand out from other books that cover the same topics.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

142 of 148 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introduction to web development December 16, 2011

By Nicholas C. Zakas

Format:Paperback

My first impression of the book is that it's beautiful. The text is large and the pages are colorful, making it very easy to thumb through when in a hurry. When I wasn't in a hurry and sat down to read it, I found that the book almost told the entire story through pictures. The words are there and technically correct, but it's the visuals in the book that really communicate information to the reader.

I admired Duckett's approach to this book. He completely dispels with the buzzwords that glitter so many books these days. There's mention of HTML5 and CSS3, for sure, but it's done in such a way that it doesn't seem gimmicky or hyped. The title of the book itself is evidence of this. Duckett clearly doesn't want you thinking about HTML 4 vs. HTML5 or CSS 2 vs. CSS3. Instead, he wants you to understand the concepts that link together web technology and good design. Some of that is done with HTML 4 and CSS 2 while some is done with HTML5 and CSS3.

This book is really targeted at beginners without a technical background, and it does an exceptional job in serving this audience. The approach is perhaps the gentlest introduction to the concept of web programming that I've ever encountered. So gentle, in fact, I think that almost anyone could pick up this book and start to make a simple web page relatively quickly. It takes you right from creating your HTML file with a text editor, through learning HTML and CSS, all the way to deploying your file and adding Google Analytics.

Sprinkled throughout the book are useful tidbits about typography, contrast, design concepts, and even how multimedia plugins such as Flash work in conjunction with a web page. The very visual nature of the book makes picking up these concepts easy, as every piece of code is accompanied with a diagram, figure, or screenshot showing the result.

If you're an experienced web developer, you'll probably want to pass on this book since it will be far too basic. However, if you're looking for a good book to introduce web development to an inexperienced web developer, or even someone who has no experience, then this book is a great place to start.

55 of 58 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for Beginners, or to Update Skills January 19, 2012

By Rebecca Haden VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I want to admire this book first as a book. People who want to learn how to make quilts or soups or jewelry have plenty of gorgeous books for inspiration, but books for people who want to make websites are often visually dull, even ugly. Duckett, when he fills a page with code, also gives you a photo of how that code will render on a monitor, and the pictures are just as nice as those glamor shots of butternut squash soup. The whole book is attractively designed and laid out. It's also color coordinated so you can easily track down the turquoise(html) or hot pink (css) summaries or chocolate brown background info.

That background info is very nicely done. Each page spread is like a poster clarifying things like what exactly a left-angle bracket is or just exactly how forms work. Many books in the field assume that all their readers know this stuff already, and a book for web designers that spent much time on defining serif vs. sans-serif fonts would be frustrating for most designers. This book sequesters basic info so old hands can skip it and beginners can readily find it again, as well as making it clear and memorable.

Half the book examines HTML, looking at structure, text, links, images, tables, forms, "Extra Markeup" such as comments and metadata, and multimedia elements. Each element is explained clearly with good examples, and HTML5 is included. The presentation is economical and straightforward, but lots of information is included: things like animated gifs and how to communicate with older browsers aren't often included in books suited to beginners.

The second half of the book introduces CSS, HTML5 layout, and "Practical Information" like how to tell who's coming to your site and how to organize information into a website.

The author intends this book for people learning how to build websites (and it's certainly the best book I've seen to get you started) and for people who use a content management system like WordPress but want more control over their sites. I think it also will be very useful for people who learned HTML and CSS in the past and want to get more up to date. We often see sites built with outdated code because the owners can't bring themselves to go through the learning process again. I get that -- I took a class in HTML and it was probably slightly less creative and exciting than basic statistics class. This book isn't like that. It's clear and enjoyable, and you can download all the code from the author's website if you really hate typing it.

I highly recommend this book.

47 of 51 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Complete Introduction January 1, 2012

By Mike Wallace VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I found this book very useful. I am a WordPress user and a cut and paste coder, who is still struggling with understanding CSS. This book starts with the basics of web design, HTML, and CSS; and ends with wire-framing, design tips, SEO, and analytics. The author is somehow able to present a wide variety of information in a clear and precise way, with large graphics and illustrations that break everything down into digestible sections.

Unlike the Dummy books, which are very simplistic and leave you with just a vague overview. This book will take a novice and beyond, and fill in the gaps and make somewhat dry coding information simple and easy to understand. The information is presented in a clear, easy to understand format. With the help of this book, CSS is finally starting to make sense.

This book is not only useful for the beginner, or web publisher that is used to using WordPress, it also makes a great reference with an easy to use index and list of CSS properties and HTML elements. This is the exact book I needed.