Customer Reviews

HTML Sourcebook: A Complete Guide to HTML 3.2 and HTML Extensions (Sourcebooks)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When I started to learn Web programming, I was overwhelmed by the sources of HTML guide. Fortunately I found this book. Unlike some other HTML scripters, I read this book from cover to cover memorizing almost all tags/attributes as if a teacher would give me a quiz the second day. Thanks to its clear description, I could remember most I memorized. Today I'm a professional Web programmer doing mostly Perl/CGI, Javascript and Apache administration. I owe a lot to Ian Graham. I constantly recommend this book to others who wish to learn HTML.

This is the most superb and comprehensive HTML book out there! All other books promise to teach you HTML "in 24 hours".........wrong answer! Ian Graham shows how much those "other" books leave out. I was going to spend two grand on an HTML course; instead, i bought this book for twenty bucks at a discount store. I saved a load of dough. It's an absolutely definitive volume, the true HTML bible. Graham is wonderfully, obsessively knowledgeable about HTML.

I think the only people criticising this exhaustive reference are those who should be using Frontpage anyway. Considering its target market, it packs in a surprisingly good amount of examples and tutorial too that even an amateur can learn from. If you are serious, this kills the Definitive Guide for content and as for Stanek's Unleashed - just forget it, it's the most over-hyped volume out there! Just take notice of the professionals who read this book - all my friends who design web sites for a living use it...

I am a professional Web Programer and I love this book. It is the best reference book I've seen for HTML. I hope Mr Graham will keep writing HTML books in this style and do the same for the JavaScript Language.

This book is straight to the point, it tells you what you can do with a tag and what you can not and many times the browser version and type that the tags will work in.

The people that did not like Mr Graham's HTML books (I have them both) possibly are looking to them to teach them everything they need to know about Web Programming. They are not introductory HTML books nor books on CGI, Java, or JavaScript programming although he does talk about them in a basic sense. They are wonderful HTML reference books.

From my first steps with HTML several years back, to just the other day as I was putting some final touches on yet another clients website, this book has been an invaluable resource. The best part about it is the complete(?) HTML 3.2 reference, which describes the tags, usage, browser compatibility, attributes, and whatnot. Very easy to understand, IMO. I never read it straight through -- I don't think it's designed for that. I'd read a chapter here and there, whenever my interest in a subject matter was sparked. That seemed to work real well for me - the book didn't lose me.

Overall, this is an excellent book. However, I would not buy this EDITION, as I know there is a 4th ed out now. When I got the book several years back, it was perfect. Unfortunately now several of the tags are depricated. Although I haven't seen the 4th ed, I plan on purchasing it, as I'm sure they've updated the tags and other content.

My hat goes off to the author!

There are HTML books who are for beginners and I have one of those and then there is a book for pros, and this one is for the pros. I liked this book, since it kind of covered all the tags there is to know. However, I felt that there weren't enough examples at the end.

*blink* I was rather surprised to see the comments made on this site. I have used Mr. Graham's books since I started developing - I found it was more like a well written programming book (even though I don't view HTML as a programming language) - tags/related theory were well laid out, descriptions and examples were relevant and excellent. I *have* read several other HTML books, but this is the one I turn to when I need a question answered. To the readers who had a problem with it - try reading it from the beginning. Mr. Graham is a prof, and his book tends to read like a lecture. Keep that in mind when you pick it up the next time, you might be in for a nice surprise.

Very readable, complete, interesting, fun. Perfect for "power beginners" who do not want a 2000+ page book. Recommended.

I was looking for another view on HTML but this book wasn't very good. Much of what the author talks about isn't clear and he confuses a lot of issues. No beginner should try this one that is for sure

You'll be much happier and much more informed if you purchase Stanek's Web Publishing Unleashed Professional instead. I liked that book much much more than this one and its covers much much more as well