Great for beginning HTML & CSS learners
589836
Really covers what you need to know about HTML and CSS.
The chapter cases/examples at the end are a little frustrating without guidance but the chapters themselves cover basic to intermediate material quite thoroughly.
I would recommend this as a textbook (how I used it) or just a book if you want to learn the latest HTML & CSS with a lot more ease.
2733952
This is an incredible book. I knew nothing about HTML or CSS when I got this book. The way the book starts at the most basic level and gradually adds layers of complexity really helps it all make sense. Within 30 minutes I was doing HTML coding (very basic level of course).

The format of the book makes it such an easy read. Simple explanations with high-quality color pictures of the code and then how that code is displayed. The example exercises also really help in putting the information into practice.

If you have been turned off by overly-technical books that present walls of text and confusing jargon, get this book! Simple, but very effective, easy to follow and implement the information.
4142150
This is an amazing book! I'm a very visual learner and it seems like this book was written for me.  Clear and concise descriptions and examples. A must have for anyone learning CSS
226377
I used this book in my web applications class. This is a great introductory book for those who are tired of design-centric, saccharine, "let's make pretty pages" category of HTML books. If you are an aspiring developer, you need to know more than a mark-up language. This book gives you a working definition of XHTML, and then moves on to the real meat of the web: the technologies that drive real-world web pages; that is, JavaScript, XML, JSP, etc. Of course there are analogs to those listed above. PHP, for one. The author does not argue for "one true technology set." He presents the material so that, if you were to learn PHP instead of JavaScript, it would be a smooth integration to what you already learned.

There is also an appendix explaining how to set up a server, etc. All in all, one of the best dev-centric books on web programming - not just a book of tags! - that I've seen. :)
2244389
Review written by Peter Adams of the Tucson Adobe Users Group

I have been a proponent of the H-O-T (Hands-On Training) series for beginner training for a few years now. In fact, I had used a previous version of this book series from Peachpit for learning Dreamweaver MX (2003). It must said that Garrick Chow has done a very good job in keeping the book basic enough for a beginner to find useful yet supplying enough information to hold the interests of a intermediate user such as myself.

The first five chapters detail the basics of Dreamweaver CS3 by providing examples that are accessible in files located on the CD-ROM included with this book. The files and examples provide the reader with a good basic understand of the Dreamweaver CS3 user interface along with an understandable approach to its' functionality.  Chapter 6 does a very good job in relating how Dreamweaver CS3 takes advantage of CCS (Cascading Style Sheets). The book provides the reader with some basic concepts of how CSS works and actually shows how to modify the actual CCS code. Mr Chow then illustrates the Dreamweaver CS3 CSS Styles Panel.

If there is one small weak point in this book, it is the chapter dealing with XHTML (eXtensilbe HyperTest Markup Language) and HTML (HyperTest Markup Language). But as stated in the book, the introduction of WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editors, this knowledge is not as vital as it once was.

One other strong chapter in this book was Chapter 13 - Working with Forms. This subject was covered in a very easy to follow format. The book provided a very realistic simple sample of setting up a form and having it submitted via email.

I would certainly recommend this book for a beginner. For an intermediate user - it would be a good book to browse and review if it accessible via a library or a user group.
4837836
5Star!! This is basically everything you will learn in the first year of any IT course, very helpful for people trying to make a beginning website or blog  using basic html/java. Enjoy coding.  kids will enjoy this as well as  it is explained easy with helpful pictures :)
266074
Easy to digest material that helped me pass my introductory HTML class! Highly recommend for those who need it for an introductory HTML course.
2107750
Liz Castro, as i said with her Perl & CGI on the WWW book, is one of the best web development book authors. I bought this book to give me better  grasp of CSS and what it can do  since I have been web designing for 3-4  years and i already know HTML. This is easy to read book with left colum  for the book text and right colum for pictures of examples. She also notes  whether not the html is for what broswer and version so you can design a  cross-broswer compatible website. For Beginners, this is good. For  refreshers, pick it up and read it from time to time. If you ride the bus  to work, your be done with it in a week.
1734591
Very helpful!! I'm actually using it for my class called Interactive Design. I truly recommend it to those who would like to design their own webpage using CSS and HTML. Easy to follow and learn.
2608650
This book is a fantastic and fun way to learn HTML and CSS.  The style, examples, and overall flow of the material is awesome.  For all of you who are thinking about learning HTML - now you have no excuse.  This book makes the process fun and enjoyable and you will be writing web pages in no time.
1040150
I was surprised at the depth. Hands on training books are perceived as starter books.  However, in this book there are any less-than-obvious tidbits for front-end developers - even those that already use CSS all the time and may think themselves past such a book. I teach an adult ed class on css and always look for lessons I can share with my students.  I recommend this book to them because it has modern concepts sprinkled with insights that even an experienced coder may not have thought of.  The chapters each are build around a single concept, and they explore permutations of that concept in examples the student builds using a provided web page that is completely ready, minus the code they are studying in that chapter.  The last chapter puts it all together and lets the student build the page they have been working on the whole book pretty much from scratch.  The IE 'haslayout' problem another reviewer pointed out IS huge - it it the reason I give this 4 instead of 5 stars, but that is really my ONLY gripe with this book.
3364498
I spend my time flipping from designer to developer in the assignments for my classes and projects I pick up on the side.  I am facing a semester full of Asp.net so I wanted to use the time between Summer classes and the fall semester to shore up a couple of things on the design.  So I have been spending the nights sharpening my flash skills and improving my markup with web standards in mind.

I had been interested in picking up Web Standards Creativity: Innovations in Web Design with XHTML, CSS, Dom Scripting since it was released and I came upon the opportunity to obtain in exchange for reviewing the book.  This is not a bad deal if you spend as much money on books as I do.
Most of the books I have picked up regarding web standards have been very basic and contain very vague examples.  It seemed like I would always end up a little short of my learning goals at the end of these books.  Friends of Ed assembled some of the premier web designers in the world know for not only their creativity, but their belief in web standards as well.  Ok let's dive in and see if the book was worth the wait.

The book is divided into ten chapters and each author has his own chapter.  In that chapter, the individual authors bring something different to the web standards table and provide their own little learning experience.  The book was laid out a little differently than I thought it would be providing colorful pages which made the reading experience more enjoyable and was welcome break from the black & white of most technical books.

What I liked about the book

I thought every one of the authors brought something the table that I could use in my own projects down the road.  The coverage of CSS in this book is top notch and anyone looking to learn a few new tricks will enjoy the first three chapters.  Chapter four Jeff Croft makes light of the fact the .png file format is a viable choice for web graphics.  His commentary really explained the advantages and limitations of the different image formats.  Another highlight of the book would be the DOM scripting techniques presented in the third section and I felt all three chapters provided useful techniques.  I found that the text size section of Evan Marcotte's chapter very useful and I cannot wait to use this technique.  I found many of the tips given by the authors simplified things that I perceived as too difficult to pull off and after discovering the ease of use I cannot wait to experiment on my own projects.  I thought the color of pages in the book made for a more interesting read.  I also enjoyed Rob Weychert's chapter on Typography because it refreshed my knowledge of font types and techniques that I have failed to use recently.

What I didn't like about the book

I wish it would have been a bit longer as it was only 288 pages.  The second part of the book focuses on bringing print techniques to the web maybe it is because I have limited experience with designing print publications and I wish these chapters would have be a little more detailed.  I would like to have seen a couple of more chapters on DOM scripting, but Friends of Ed has another book that really dives into this area.

Conclusion

I really enjoyed reading this book and working through the examples.  This is one of the better technical books I have read in awhile the presentation is clean and concise.  I took many useful tips away from this book and I can't wait to experiment with them.  I came away from this book hungry for more examples from the author's which lends itself to the quality of the content.  I hope Friends of Ed will come out with a sequel and expand open the topics presented even further.

{[Jeff]}
2199533
This is a great book for people who are new to web development but eager to learn in a fast way. The book has a solid logical writing style and will be very easy for readers to understand the structure of the content. The book covers traditional topics regarding the history of the web standards and it also brings up many new topics such as HTML 5 and CSS 3. Some other books that give instructions are well written too, but I found them with too much information wrapped up and they could overload readers. I recommend this book to new as well as expert-level web developers to use the book as either a guide or a review.
4345130
This book sets up a great foundation for those interested in web design.  I had previous experience in programming with JAVA, however I didn't have any prior experience with HTML or CSS.  This book lays out a great base of general information then build upon that.  This book also gives you a heads up to possible errors that could occur with old browsers.  I could also see this book  as a useful reference in the future if I have specific questions.  This is definitely a beginners guide so if you are experienced and just looking to catch everything in the newer additions of HTML or CSS you may want to look elsewhere.

Pros: Beginner friendly, visually appealing, great layout
Cons: I wish this book also contained some JavaScript but I guess I'll just have to get his next book
3122858
I've read many HTML tutorials, costing much more than the $0.99 I paid for this.  This book is the best I've found.  Easy to follow. Good example code with 'hands on' drafting lessons.  Great job. Thanks Matt!
4002106
As a Web design teacher who deals with these issues on a daily basis, I have already decided I will use this as a textbook in the future. My students range from completely uninformed to reasonably practiced developers. This book will work equally with all of them.

Others have addressed the depth of the topics of the book, so there is little I can add there. I wanted to say how much I appreciate how short the lessons are. Although the book is designed for more advanced Web designers, a neophyte wanting to learn to develop Web pages could pick this book up and work through the lessons in short and easy steps, becoming reasonably well informed developers.

I also particularly appreciate the appendices in the back. One addresses XHTML, and the other Cascading Style Sheets. They are both easily used and full of information.

I highly recommend this book and plan to use it in relevant graduate and undergraduate courses (actually, I also plan to keep it by my side while I work). Now if I could just find a similarly satisfying XML book.

Thanks
1355019
I just completed reading this text and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  The text reads very well.  I like how emphasis is placed upon actually typing code in by hand, as that is the only way to truly learn how to write code, which is a major part of web design.  After learning how to actually write HTML/CSS/JavaScript, then you can use advanced tools to work faster, knowing what the generated code does.

I love the manufacturing of the text itself, as well as the layout.  The book has nice color pages and very clearly illustrates what is explained in text.  The format of this text is awesome too. The sidebars are very helpful as well.  Examples are distributed throughout the text with test questions at the end of each chapter to reinforce what you learned.

I am very happy to see the detailed explanations of CSS selectors, as well as the positioning of elements. For example, how to position an 'absolute' element by making the parent element 'relative'.

Anyway, I recommend this text to anyone who wants to learn web development.  If you are a beginner this text shows you how to learn HTML, CSS, and JavaScript from the start.  If you have a few years under your belt, I still recommend this text to fill in any gaps you may have missed - as was the case with myself.

This book is a keeper! It sits right next to my computer.