Html 4 Bible (Bible (Wiley)) (Paperback)

by Bryan Pfaffenberger (Author), Alexis D. Gutzman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
In HTML 4 Bible, you'll find a comprehensive definition of what is considered state of the art in Web-publishing languages. The book explains HTML tags and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) thoroughly, and it gives some attention to JavaScript as well.

Authors Pfaffenberger and Gutzman use a helpful problem-and-solution format that provides straightforward answers to common problems--they show you how to build image maps and create attractive forms, to cite two examples.

What's special about the book's approach is that it doesn't get sidetracked by the universe of detail that HTML 4 presents. Rather than choosing to ploddingly document the characteristics of one tag after another, Pfaffenberger and Gutzman explain their subject by describing how it is applied in practice. They explain, for example, how to arrange textual data so that people are more likely to read it.

The downside to this holistic approach is that HTML 4 Bible isn't the absolutely comprehensive HTML reference many readers will expect it to be. Books like that exist, and you may want to supplement HTML 4 Bible with one of them. But if you want a text that provides informed explanations of how to get the results you want with HTML, this book is for you. --David Wall

Product Description
With HTML, anyone can create Web pages chock full of dynamic content for all the world to see. And with HTML 4 Bible, anyone can learn how its done. Written for users of all levels, HTML 4 Bible goes beyond simply supplying you with the latest HTML tags and attributes and explaining how to build a Web page. You get expert instruction and advice on enhancing your site with exciting images, animation, Java applets, audio, video, and more. HTML 4 Bible also provides coverage of the latest Web technologies, including cascading style sheets and dynamic HTML.

Accompanying HTML 4 Bible is a CD-ROM packed with many invaluable resources, including Netscape Navigator 4.0, Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0, HTML editors, site management software, sample Web pages and scripts, and trial versions of Claris HomePage 3.0, Adobe PageMill, NetObjects Fusion 3.0, and GIF Movie Gear 2.51.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 903 pages
• Publisher: Wiley Publishing; Bk&CD-Rom edition (July 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764532200
• ISBN-13: 978-0764532207
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.8 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,418,942 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Decent Overview of HTML, June 7, 2000

By	K. Cole (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This "Bible" eases new HTML-coders into the language very gently and contains a variety of info. It introduces a very specific way to learn HTML 4 in tandem with Cascading Style Sheets and eventually JavaScript, which is theoretically the best way to learn the language... however some of the positioning tricks the authors suggest are still not supported by all browsers, and alternatives are not always suggested. There are a few typos that will frustrate more than a few readers. After spending time actually coding pages, the reader will want to find a specific answer to a nitty-gritty question or problem, but will only find an ambiguous "gloss". The book is a good start for anyone who is anxious about jumping into HTML. For the serious web builder and experienced coders, it offers a different slant on HTML 4, and excellent descriptions of CSS, etc., but will eventually need to be supplemented with another reference. It's not quite a "Bible".

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Terrible - filled with errors & long unrelated sections., June 12, 1999

By A Customer

Truly disappointed with HTML 4 Bible, usualy the Bible series publishes great books. This one should be titled my genearl, overall, meandering feelings about HTML and everything else under the sun. Not only are there numerous errors in the code samples and explanations, the author inserts text after text of off subject, and bad, information. Such as pages advising the use of "active" verbs instead of "passive" verb usage in one's web content, and wondering passages about Xanadu and 'what it' that infinite cross reference idea ever takes off - how "one day" it should be incorporated into web page design. This book, by its title, should discuss HTML coding, its uses and examples - it does very little of that. In my frustration I had to stop reading 3/4 the way through and returned it.

I cant' recommend this book under any circumstances.

FYI I purchased O'Reilly's "HTML Definitive" book instead and I'm very happy with this later choice.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive and Accurate, November 3, 1998

By A Customer

This is a great book for an experienced Web developer. The authors take special pains to draw attention to what's new in HTML 4 and to indicate what works in each browser (and browser version). This book is always within reach of my computer. The index is excellent and the explanations and examples are clear and relevant. The appendices are also very helpful in showing what works in which browser.

I've seen many HTML books and this is the best one out there. So many of the books that are sold as HTML 4 books are really just re-packaged HTML 3.2 books. This one was written for HTML 4, which is really a different animal than HTML 3.2 It includes a comprehensive section on Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), the Document Object Model (DOM), and Javascript, and how the three work together to make Dynamic HTML.