"What is a tribble, and why is a tribble difficult to control?" is one possible question from readers of 'The Yahoo! style guide'. In a style guide from a global company, I expect internationalised content. Readers who do not know American culture will struggle to understand some of the content.
'The Yahoo! style guide' explains how to write for an international audience. Unfortunately, the text does not conform to the guidelines that are in the book. Possibly, many readers of the book do not read English as a first language.
Some irritating errors spoil the book. For example, the statement, "It's impossible to write without using some idioms" is not correct.
The chapters are organised in sequence from less technical to more technical. Ideas are introduced early in the book, and are discussed in detail later. For that structure to be effective, readers need to know where to find information. For the best user experience, a better index is necessary.
Despite my criticisms, the book is useful. Although I do not agree with some of the guidelines, I learnt new things.
'The Yahoo! style guide' is much more than only a style guide. The book has guidelines about words and grammar, but the book also deals with accessibility, audience analysis, text for headings, HTML, search engine optimisation, the design of user interfaces, US copyright law, and many other topics. Therefore, 'The ultimate sourcebook for writing, editing, and creating content for the digital world' is an accurate subtitle.