Customer Reviews

HTML & XHTML: The Complete Reference (Osborne Complete Reference Series)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

What I liked from this book, compared to some others
- complete reference
- accurate (e.g. reference to various browsers)
- covers many subjects
- explanations show that the author knows what he is talking about

To be bought along with "JavaScript, the definitive guide" from D.Flanagan

The title of this review says it all. This book is excellent as both an introduction to HTML and XHTML as well as a reference. It pre-emptively answers all the questions I would have thought to ask. It does not have (and does not claim to have) all that much on dynamic development, so this is not the only book you'll need if you want to develop a useful site.

This Reference is very very comprehensive. It also covers CSS 2.0 (completely, no need to buy a CSS 2.0 reference unless you need a learning book or a pocket reference).

It also covers XML to an extend most Web Developers need to know without becoming an Authority in the subject.

A lot of examples that are not always useful. The Appendixes for HTML and CSS are among the best I have seen. Browser Compatibility is also addressed in easy to read "grid" like format.

I bought this book after reading all the good reviews about it. It is all true. This is a very good book to read, if you have the time, and it is a very good reference book, if you don't have the time to read cover to cover. It is a thick book and worth your every penny you spend on it. I suggest you get this book before you even consider getting any other HTML books.

I spent many hours reading through books on xhtml to find the best reference manual. This is the book that I chose. I find it very easy to locate the data I need and exceptionally thorough. There are plenty of good clean code html & xhtml examples. But what makes this book a book that you will keep, are the tables in the back defining everything from attributes to special character codes. It is after all a reference manual. Like most technical subjects, each book seems to have an area where it shines. None have it all. However, this book is the best overall.

This book is a good reference if you are doing a web page. It shows html, xtml and java language. It's a very good dictionary to find terms for diferent things that you would like to put in your web page as music, backgrounds, links, etc.

I am not an HTML professional, but there continue to be many opportunities for me to use this book to aid in setting up small documentation sites or page sets for the various projects I do. I have found this book to be very helpful when the IDE and my own abilities fall short when hard-coding the pages. It also saved the day for one of the HTML class assignments a year or so ago. It has proved to be worth the price.