HTML 4 for the World Wide Web: VQS (3rd Edition) [Paperback]

Elizabeth Castro (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0201696967 | ISBN-13: 978-0201696967 | Publication Date: May 7, 1998 | Edition: 3

Like previous editions, HTML 4 for the World Wide Web: Visual QuickStart Guide has won universal praise for being the most succinct, indispensable guide to using HTML to design Web pages. Completely updated for HTML 4, this third edition covers such important innovations as Cascading Style Sheets and dynamic HTML, as well as the improved form, frame, and table features. It also includes a variety of tips on how to create good-looking pages and avoid common pitfalls of Web design. Perfect for beginners, the book presumes no prior knowledge of HTML and presents clear, step-by-step instructions for creating each element of a page, from titles and headers to forms and frames - all illustrated with examples of the code and the resulting page. But HTML 4 for the World Wide Web: VQS isn't just for novices. Thanks to its well-organized tabbed format and real-world coverage of HTML tags, even experienced Web designers will find it a valuable day-to-day reference.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Ask any burgeoning Web-page author what they want in an HTML guide, and the list would go something like this: concise, informative, plenty of examples, a little bit of fun without being too cute. Elizabeth Castro's HTML for the World Wide Web is that dream guide to learning this Web language.

Unlike other books that lumber along feeding the reader arcane details, Castro's book keeps to the basics. You'll still learn everything you need to create a great site (where to start off, how to nest tables, how to add in video), but you won't feel overwhelmed by the process. The book is clearly referenced and, in typically concise Peachpit Press style, full of deceptively simple bullet lists of things to do. On the other side of the split page are screen shots, illustrations, or other examples to highlight the steps the reader needs to take to create desired effects. The book concludes with a listing of special symbols, a color chart, and a well-devised index of all the goodies contained in this slim--but comprehensive--book. --Jennifer Buckendorff

From the Back Cover

Like previous editions, HTML 4 for the World Wide Web: Visual QuickStart Guide has won universal praise for being the most succinct, indispensable guide to using HTML to design Web pages. Completely updated for HTML 4, this third edition covers such important innovations as Cascading Style Sheets and dynamic HTML, as well as the improved form, frame, and table features. It also includes a variety of tips on how to create good-looking pages and avoid common pitfalls of Web design.

Perfect for beginners, the book presumes no prior knowledge of HTML and presents clear, step-by-step instructions for creating each element of a page, from titles and headers to forms and frames — all illustrated with examples of the code and the resulting page. But HTML 4 for the World Wide Web: VQS isn't just for novices. Thanks to its well-organized tabbed format and real-world coverage of HTML tags, even experienced Web designers will find it a valuable day-to-day reference.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Pearson Education; 3 edition (May 7, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201696967
• ISBN-13: 978-0201696967
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (387 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,285,147 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I moved to Barcelona in 1987 to study bilingualism but found a job in a computer company instead. After managing the translation of many different computer programs (FreeHand, PageMaker, Illustrator, and more), I started a publishing company to translate and publish computer books in Spanish. In 1993, moved back to the US to write my own books. Started with Netscape, and then moved on to HTML, Perl, XML, Blogger, iPhoto, and most recently EPUB. You can find more personal info about me at my blog A Year in Barcelona (http://www.ayearinbarcelona.com). My regular blog is Pigs, Gourds, and Wikis (http://www.pigsgourdsandwikis.com). I spend a fair bit of time on Twitter (@lizcastro). And my full website is www.ElizabethCastro.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

171 of 178 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the one!, March 8, 2000

By 

Randy Ringstad (Reno, Nevada USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: HTML 4 for the World Wide Web, Fourth Edition (Paperback)

First of all, many books go into way too much detail in explaining the concepts of HTML. Most of the material in the thousand-pagers are useless. Ms. Castro cuts to the chase, presenting brief and accurate explainations of HTML tags, style sheets, and the creation and use of images that work on the web. The only other book on HTML that I've purchased in the past were the "for Dummies" volumes a few years ago. I put them down shortly after being bored to tears and severly discouraged. HTML seemed like a vast subject. In fact, it's the easiest language (if you can call it that)to learn on a computer. ANYBODY can write HTML code and Ms. Castro proves it in this book. A wealth of examples is provided on her website for each chapter. Don't miss out on this. WYSIWYG web site programs are nice. But, the real control comes from coding the HTML (with a WYSIWYG editor if you wish). You can do it. This is the book to get. Note to WordPerfect users: if you've ever used the Reveal Codes command in WordPerfect (I used ver 5.2 long ago), then HTML will come easily for you.

94 of 96 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Peachpit Prints Gold!, July 17, 2000

By 

Steven A. Bell "Even Keel" (Kemp, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: HTML 4 for the World Wide Web, Fourth Edition (Paperback)

Having been in the HTML world now for a number of years, I am constantly looking for better references and tutorials. Elizabeth Castro has done both with this excellent book on HTML. Again and again I find myself turning to this book to find ways of doing things that I used to do in JavaScript (the "Gee I Didn't Know HTML Would Do That!" syndrome). What I like most is the format of the book; an excellent index allows the reader to easily look up specifics. The book contains some of the following chapters: Text Formatting, Images, Layout, Links, Lists, Tables, Frames (a big problem area for a lot of web programmers, well presented and explained here with some pretty neat hints and tips), Forms, Style Sheets (happily, this is heavily explained with four chapters dedicated to it's many facets), Scripts (wow! An HTML author who finally admits there are other languages out there! The author even spends a little time on the basics of JavaScript, however, she stays true to the focus of the book, only showing enough to wet the appetite before moving on), debugging (this is another biggy rarely covered by HTML authors, again well done here). The author spend some time even on publishing a web site. The problems and solutions to getting: a domain name, web host, transferring files, getting listed on search engines, etc. Several appendices: Tools, Special Symbols, Colors, and Tag Compatibility are covered. The index is very well done. This book is a must buy for any serious web developer.

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent HTML guide for all levels, February 18, 2000

By 

Rahul Das - See all my reviews

This review is from: HTML 4 for the World Wide Web, Fourth Edition (Paperback)

I am a java programmer who never really learnt HTML formally. I needed to learn it for a project, and I was looking for a book that starts with basics, but doesn't leave you hanging after just explaining some basic concepts. Great reviews prompted me to buy this book but when I received it, I was disappointed with the small size of the book. But after reading it, VOW! Make no mistake folks. This book beautifully covers everything in its small size which many other books cover in thousands of pages. An excellent tutorial, and even a better reference after you have read it once. Despite its small size, I can't think of a topic that has not been covered well in this book. Easy going language, and visual depiction of concepts, I have never written a review for books before this due to lack of time, but I had to review this one as I was so impressed. And at this price, it's a steal. Covers the latest HTML 4 version which should last for some years to come. Don't think twice, buy it now.