The Complete Idiot's Guide to Creating an HTML Web Page (Paperback)

~ McFedries (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"An excellent reference for anyone who wants to create a Web page."

One of the charms of the Web is that just about anyone can (and does) create a Web page. "It's cinchy," they tell you. And they're right. But it always helps to have a book handy to help you with some of the not-so-cinchy parts. And it amazes me how many Web design or publishing books just don't get it. Fortunately, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Creating a Web Page isn't one of those books. Despite its long name (which I refuse to type again), the book is very good.

Paul does a fair job of covering the subject in a friendly, engaging tone. Yes, this book has life to it. It has personality. The humor isn't forced or condescending. Paul covers a lot of ground quickly and I had to remind myself that Idiot's Guides, like Dummies books, are references. So, where I thought some things were skipped over quickly, the truth is that as a reference the book works well. (True beginners who need handholding and tutorials should turn elsewhere.)

The book's scope is vast. It goes into style sheets, JavaScript, and certain advanced options that help round out the Web page experience. It also covers my hot-button issue of FTP. Without FTP, you just can't publish your Web page on the Internet, and I'm embarrassed for the many book authors who don't include such vital information in their Web publishing books. Fortunately, it's covered here, and covered well.

I suppose I could gripe that the book doesn't cover XML, an advanced topic for Web page creation, and one that I've yet to see a decent book on, anyway. That's a minor quibble, though; as far as I'm concerned, XML is just a Microsoft conspiracy to yank Web page creation out of the hands of you and me, the mere mortals of the Internet. No, for basic Web page creation and publication, you really can't beat this book. --Dan Gookin

Product Description

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Creating an HTML Web Page, Fourth Edition, provides you with the tools you need to create and customize your Web pages. A careful, step-by-step approach enables you to build and publish your first Web page. With the basics in place, you are slowly introduced to more advanced concepts such as tables, forms, frames, and style sheets. Many examples illustrate each new concept, and you are encouraged to use and build upon these examples. Many new Web page concepts are covered, including XML, style sheets and JavaScript programs.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 414 pages
• Publisher: Alpha (December 22, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789722569
• ISBN-13: 978-0789722560
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (58 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,062,006 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent guide for any novice wanting to write a website, July 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Complete Idiot's Guide To Creating An HTML 4 Web Page (The Complete Idiot's Guide) (Paperback)

Paul McFedries adopts the style of a friendly chat over a cup of coffee. He cuts through the jargon and rapidly inspires confidence - Hey! I could do this! is the message all through. The book is well organised in logical chapters each building on the previous ones to take a simple web page with only text and grow it to a complete web site with pictures, sounds, frames and forms. There are plenty of examples in the text and a very useful CD accompanying the book contains them all plus many other useful graphics and scripts to add to your web site. There are also many suggestions for other sources of help and resources from the Internet. If you want to learn about HTML and writing web sites, this is the book.

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book for HTML ever!, January 11, 2000

By	Mike (Virginia) - See all my reviews

I was sitting at the library and this book caught my glanced. I had been looking to build a webpage but the other books I purchased were way to confusing with all this computer jargon. So I pick up this book and start browsing through it. I discovered that this book was really easy to read and understand and it taught me everything I ever needed to know about HTML. When I found out that this book included a cd I was ever the more thrilled. The cd has everthing you need to get started including html editors, graphics editors, tons of graphics, gif animators and other really cool stuff. It also gave examples of the html shown in the book. The author of this book also has a website which tells you even more about html. You can join his mailing list and email him. He wrote back to me and actually helped me personally with my site. Well, if you're looking to build a webpage, get this book!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great guide to HTML, December 29, 2000

By	D. Hunter - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Complete Idiots Guide to Creating an HTML Web Page; With CDROM (Paperback)

I actually have the 4.0 edition of this one, and it covers a ton of HTML codes, applets, tables, frames, surveys, etc! Other pluses of this book include the fact that it is presented in a relaxed manner to get you up to speed.

The book also includes a CD-ROM, containing dozens of useful graphics, programs, tools and so much more. I actually downloaded the entire disk to my hard-drive so I would have it when I needed it!

I had been playing with my own web-site on and off for years now and I got fed up with having a boring site, so I picked up this book. I was not disappointed! I have learned how to wean myself off of an easy web-editor, to pure HTML. I've also learned how to make an image as a link, how to META tag and a whole bunch of other cool stuff I've been wanting to know how to do.

The only real complaint I have is that he tells you how to get a radio-button survey on your page, and then you have to link it to his site to get the results. I would have thought it cool if he had included the section on how to do it all yourself (although he mentioned the fact it would have made the book a bit thicker).

If your looking for the basics and maybe a little more, this will get you started! Now all they need is a C.I.G to Java!