HTML 4 FOR DUMMIES. A paperback book written by Ed Tittel, published by John Wiley & Sons

Essential Stats

• Pages: 432
• Published: Friday 3rd June 2005
• Edition: 5th editionition
• Dimensions: 24cm tall, 19cm wide, 3cm thick
• Weight: 663 grams
• Dewey Decimal Number: 006.74
• ISBN: 0764589172
• RRP: £15.99
• Availability at Amazon UK:
  • 5 new books from £8.00
  • 18 used books from £3.07

HTML 4 for Dummies Cover

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Tags

• Look Inside!
• General
• HTML
• General AAS
• HTML & Web Design
• HTML
• HTML 4
• General AAS
• Software & Graphics
• General AAS
• General AAS
• English
• Paperback
• Regular Size

Reviews

Fantastic book. The only text I have on HTML. Enabled me to get to grips with my own website www.totalastronomy.com. Crammed with useful tips for the beginner.

Quite unsuitable for "Dummies", with virtually no prior knowledge of HTML.

One would expect a book like this to present the material in an orderly, structured manner, one thing at a time, starting with the most elementary concepts. This, unfortunately, is not the case. One only has to get as far as page 18 to encounter such terms as HTML, XHTML,(X)HTML, Document Type Definitions, Standard Generalised Markup Language, W3C, XHTML Transitional, XHTML Frameset, etc. Strong stuff indeed for a raw beginner!


And the reader may well be forgiven for wondering "what on earth is (X)HTML? Is this yet another variety of HTML?"

There should be frequent opportunities for self-testing, to ensure that the reader has thoroughly understood what he has read and practiced, before moving on to the next step. I found no evidence of any such testing.

On page 17 will be found the statement that "This book uses the XHTML 1.0 specification as its basis". Confusing indeed, when one recalls that the book is supposed to deal with "HTML for Dummies", and NOT with "XHTML for Dummies".

My main criticizm is that I could never be sure about which of the varieties of HTML the authors were talking at any given time - plain HTML, XHTML or (X)HTML, whatever that may be! What am I actually trying to learn here? A huge source of frustration! The book may well contain accurate information, but this is of no use whatsoever to a beginner unless he is absolutely clear from the outset about WHAT he is learning. The book makes a meal of what ought to be a straightforward subject, producing a sense of irritation in the reader. It does not even begin to approach the excellent standard of other Dummies books that I have read. My first reaction to this book was one of frustration followed by a sense of regret that I had purchased it in the first place.

You have probably guessed by now that I do not recommend it at all!

I was very pleased with this book. I hadn't done any html work before and after reading this book I have created my own website. I've actually surprised myself! It starts off with the basics and then advances into more useful and easily understood concepts. I really recommend buying this book if your wanting to create a website as quick as possible.

Let's face it, reviews are all very well and indeed there are lots of good ones (including some on this page), however, it's proof we all want.

Off the back of reading this excellent book, I built the following websites .. www.i-phone-uk.com .. www.shopdirect247.co.uk and I've just started www.gadgetheaven.net. If I've learnt the lessons of this book (and I accept there's an assumption that I have) then the lessons should be clear to see.

The book slowly layers (sometimes a little too slow) the steps the reader needs to take to grasp the subject and then builds upon it step-by-step. In fact, it is possible to build a site as you go along. Ed Tittel is clear to explain why things are important and doesn't completely exclude things too soon, although one quickly realises that this is someone that knows what he's talking about.

HTML isn't a dark art, it's a simple subject that like so many - is easy when you know how!

If you've used Dummies books before and have a genuine interest in developing a website then you'll find this very useful. Great for beginners.

I read this book cover to cover some time ago to fill any gaps I may have encountered in teaching myself HTML years before. The book covers pretty much every fundamental aspect of HTML, and does a decent job of explaining it all, too. Some other reviews state the book is difficult to follow. Unfortunately, even HTML has a degree of complexity, and this book explains HTML in as simplified a way as is possible.

This book falls short not through a lack of content, but in that it's fairly dated in today's context. After reading the entire book, you'll be able to create websites that would have looked very much bog-standard even in the late 90s. The real designs start coming together when you start working with programs like Photoshop and Flash alongside hard coding HTML. With several graphic design tools and these foundational HTML techniques, you'll be able to create websites. Don't be under the illusion that you'll finish the book and be able to throw together a contemporary website.

Another point worth mentioning is that XHTML is the current standard, and soon HTML 4 will be fairly obsolete. It may be a couple of years down the line, but that's roughly the learning curve for getting reasonably good at web design. I'd reccommend any XHTML book over this book, as they tend to cover everything useful (and necessary) in this book and disregard all the useless, obsolete tags that make your site look like it hasn't been updated since 1996.

However, if you simply want to learn HTML to make a basic homepage for family photos or the like, this book may be all you need.

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