HTML & XHTML: The Complete Reference (Osborne Complete Reference Series) [Paperback]

Thomas Powell (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 007222942X | ISBN-13: 978-0072229424 | Publication Date: August 19, 2003 | Edition: 4

Construct awesome Web pages using HTML, XHTML, XML, basic JavaScript, both CSS (style sheet) specifications, and DHTML. This thorough resource provides explanations of why tags work as they do, rather than just giving basic descriptions of them. Plus, use a companion Web site that features layout examples and allows visitors to sample HTML for their own uses.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The Definitive Resource on HTML & XHTML

Covers HTML, XHTML, XML, CSS1, and CSS2

This fourth edition of HTML & XHTML: The Complete Reference teaches real world Web markup with a focus on both the standards in use today and the emerging standards of tomorrow. Understand the core elements of XHTML, CSS, and Web development. Learn layout and presentation techniques--including multimedia. Study how JavaScript and Server-Side programming can be used to create interactive sites. Learn how to deliver and manage Web sites, handle advanced topics such as XML, and much more. This popular reference is a must-read for serious Web developers.

• Build Web pages using step-by-step tutorials
• Learn standards-based markup with HTML 4 and XHTML 1
• Improve layout with Cascading Style Sheets
• Manage and maintain Web sites
• Create interactivity with forms, JavaScript, and server-side technologies
• Find server selection and hosting advice
• Develop Web pages that serve a wide range of functions

About the Author

About the Author Thomas A. Powell (San Diego, CA) is President of PINT, Inc., a San Diego based Web development and design firm that services major corporations including Sanyo, Kyocera, Viewsonic, Toshiba and many others. Thomas is a long-standing Web educator and developed the Web Publishing Certificate program for UCSD Extension and is an instructor for the Computer Science Department of UCSD as well. He is the author of Web Design: The Complete Reference (McGraw-Hill/Osborne 2002), JavaScript: The Complete Reference (McGraw-Hill/Osborne 2001), and Web Site Engineering (Prentice Hall 1999). He has written numerous articles on Web design and development technologies both for online and print publications including Network World. His firm PINT is a member of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and actively tracks Web standards development as it relates to Web design.

Product Details

• Paperback: 956 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media; 4 edition (August 19, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 007222942X
• ISBN-13: 978-0072229424
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #410,364 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #63 in Books > Computers & Technology > Programming > Languages & Tools > XHTML

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

85 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very good, complete single volume for reference, February 8, 2004

By 

Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: HTML & XHTML: The Complete Reference (Osborne Complete Reference Series) (Paperback)

Contents
This book is a reference manual for HTML/XHTML/XML/CSS1/CSS2, in addition to a well-written book on how the different features work (with examples).

The book is divided into seven parts with the following contents:

Part 1 - Introduction - Introduction To HTML And XHTML; Web Development Overview
Part 2 - Core HTML And XHTML - Core Elements; Links And Addressing
Part 3 - Presentation And Layout - Images; Text, Colors, And Backgrounds; Tables And Layouts; Frames; Multimedia; CSS1; CSS2
Part 4 - Interactivity - Forms; Introduction To Server-Side Programming; JavaScript And DHTML; Plug-ins, ActiveX Controls, And Java Applets;
Part 5 - Site Delivery And Management - HTTP And Site Delivery; Site Management
Part 6 - Advanced Topics - XML
Part 7 - Appendixes - HTML And XHTML Element Reference; CSS1 And CSS2 Reference; Special Characters; Fonts; Color Reference; Reading A Document Type Definition; Index

Review
It used to be that when you built web pages, all you needed to know were a few basic HTML tags. But over time, things have gotten much more complicated. HTML has grown, and the different browsers don't support all the tags in the same way. HTML is now morphing into XHTML. You have cascading style sheets (version 1 and 2), and of course browsers support those differently too. Throw in XML, JavaScript, DHTML, ActiveX and applets, and you wonder how any of it works together. To help you keep it all straight, you need to have a good reference manual that explains it all. HTML & XHTML: The Complete Reference by Thomas Powell is an excellent choice to have on your bookshelf.

Unlike pure reference-style manuals, this book bridges the gap between information and learning. The appendixes at the end of the book can be used for just looking up a particular tag as well as what browsers support that feature. This information is valuable as you attempt to code web pages that are compatible across browser versions. But it doesn't stop there. Each of the book sections discusses the different features in a learning style, complete with examples. So instead of just seeing a <big> tag listed with browser support, you get a discussion of what it is, how it works, when you should use it, and a code example (with screen shot) to see how it will work. For me, I need that bridge between theoretical and practical.

While the book does discuss XML, JavaScript, and DHTML to some degree, I wouldn't buy this book as a reference tool for those technologies. You'll get basic coverage here, but you could buy separate books of this size on each of those subjects. And if that's the only "bad" thing I can say about this book, it should give you an idea of how much I like this book.

Conclusion
If you are looking for a good "all-in-one" book to use in your web development efforts, this would be an excellent choice. A great mix of reference and instruction material in a single volume.

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, March 21, 2005

By 

P. N. Payne (Albuquerque, NM United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: HTML & XHTML: The Complete Reference (Osborne Complete Reference Series) (Paperback)

I have about a half dozen html books. I learned the most from Elizabeth Castro, HTML for the World Wide Web, Visual Quickstart Guide. I read Castro virtually cover to cover, and I still refer back to it from time to time.

But it is Powell's HTML & XHTML 4th edition that I go to for a better understanding or a sticky problem. Hence the name: The Complete Reference. Powell knows his stuff and it shows. It would be hard to read Powell cover to cover, but as a reference, it is outstanding.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good for reference, Not good for begginer, March 20, 2005

By 

Andrea - See all my reviews

This review is from: HTML & XHTML: The Complete Reference (Osborne Complete Reference Series) (Paperback)

I have quite a bit of background knowledge on HTML, so it was quite useful. but it was hard to grasp the things I did not know about. It also jumps right into some complicated things and has simplier things afterwards. So I would definitly recomend it for people who know HTML and/or XHTML, but I would recomend a different book for people who are begginers.