Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If your into HTML coding or a beginner, its a must have!, 31 Mar 2000
By A Customer
As soon as you start on the first page, you know exactly what your doing. Thats what I like about this book, what ever chapter your on, what ever subject, you can't help but think "At last! Someone who understands the beginner!". Being a web designer for just over a year, I only wish I had this book when I started learning. It covers everything you need to know and the best thing is, its set out so wonderfully I keep it by my computer when ever I'm designing. The bottom line is: this is the HTML 4 bible. If you've never designed a web site before and want to get started, get it. If your an intermediate designer, get it. You'll never have to buy a HTML book again (unless Deborah S. Ray and Eric J. Ray write a newer version!) As you start the book, following the brilliant step-by-step guides, you feel the urge to skip pages if you've designed web sites before. I forced myself to read from start to finish and I'm glad I did. No matter how advanced you are in HTML coding, it never hurts to have a refresher of the basics. This is the one detail that so many web designers face, over looking the basics. I know from personal experience, when designing a site that includes multimedia you spend hours racking your brains trying to figure out what bit you fouled up on and it usually points back to one of the basic elements of the site. Because of this, reading from start to finish is a good idea. As you progress through the book, notice how it never seems overwhelming. Each chapter flows nicely and when you do complete the book you'll be refering back to it many times more. Besides the huge reference section, the examples are spot on and the disc included is excellent. My advice, if your going to buy a HTML 4 book this year, choose this one. After all, you want to get better don't you?
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I'ts ALL you need from start to finish... plus tons more., 1 Jan 2000
By A Customer
As a beginner to web design, I never had the faintest idea how to create a web page. I've not been a great one for reading manuals or how-to books, so the thought of reading a computing mumbo jumbo book the size of a bible written by eggheads - perish the thought! I had to learn somehow though, and at first was very tempted to use software such as Netscape Composer and FrontPage. But, rather than learning to use one of those programs (hearing of their limited capabilities), I discovered it would be far more rewarding and apparently as easy to learn, to try and write the code myself - giving me more control over my web pages...oh dear!!! My desires to be an independently efficient web designer eventually won the day (or was it week!) and off to the book shop I sped. As I envisaged, learning web design would ultimately become a long-term venture of mine, so I wanted a book that would cover everything I needed to know, and still have reference value in the future. A book such as 'HTML for Dummies' (written by the same authors) was a lot cheaper, but you don't get the whole picture, and would not have been a wise investment. For its size (1200 pages) as much as anything, I began leafing through Mastering HTML 4.0 Premium Edition by Deborah S. Ray & Eric J. Ray - At a glance, it seemed to cater for the beginner through to advanced-gobbledeegoop! - so I took the plunge! This book covers everything from designing your first web page (with step by step instruction), through to advanced (as you soon will be) but learnable applications. Included is a must have 'Masters Reference' section, containing; tags, attributes, color codes, etc, which will ensure the books longevity. There's also a bonus CD containing example code and shareware/freeware web programs. Initially some beginners - myself included, make the mistake of skipping pages wanting to know everything NOW - your already half way through - and you still know nothing! Read this book page for page though, and you will sense the hands of the authors holding you, with plenty of examples guiding you through - they really were on my wavelength. This book enabled me to create my first Homepage within a couple of hours. In short - it becomes invaluable, it's totally brilliant and cherished on my bookshelf... Who needs the likes of PageMaker and Frontpage Express etc?...
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Want a web site? Need a better one? This is the bees knees!, 27 Sep 2000
My idea's there, and as a beginner to DIY web page design, I need some help to get the site off the ground. A few web tutorials helped to get me in the frame of mind, and learn some of the jargon, but I needed a solid point of reference - a decent book on HTML which would guide me through, and something bang up to date for future reference. Also, having a fair knowledge of Visual Basic, I thought I'd also go for a seperate (beginners) book covering JavaScript. I bought 'Mastering HTML 4: Premium Edition', and the first thing to say is that it not only covers HTML, but JavaScript as well - not to mention XML and XHTML (whatever they are !) - so no need for that extra book. Second, it guides you easily through the first tentative steps to an advanced level - with loads of examples and illustrations to boot. Third, the bulk of the book is concerned with HTML, but there's also ample reference sections which could just as easily form a seperate book in its own right. Finally, the book is massive, its a hardback, its well written, and is excellent value for money. I know I've made a great choice, covering all my requirements...
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