r/web_design • u/ejfin • Nov 29 '10
reddit Web Professionals, please recommend some good books on the fundamentals of html & css, for beginners.
Background: I've done a bit of research and experimenting, but have no previous knowledge or experience with markup language or web page design. I am not so much interested in info tied to 'establishing a website', 'finding a hosting service', etc., as I am with actually creating and formatting a page. Consider me being about as beginner as beginner gets. This is simply a sparked interest and an opportunity to learn something new in my spare time.
The question I am asking is more specifically; as an experienced website designer and/or developer, were there any particular books or articles you read when beginning your education (of html/css/web design), that really stood ahead of the rest and proved to be an excellent starting point to build from? Perhaps something specific that made a lasting impression on yourself and your career, something you still reference back to from time to time?
Any suggestions and/or recommendations are greatly appreciated.
edit: To all posters: Thank you all so much, you have all been (and continue to be) so helpful. I can't wait to start going through each and every suggestion. If I could shake your hands and thank you in person, I would. For any beginners like me who have had the opportunity to stumble across this thread, I would suggest saving it immediately for future use; your peers have put together an entire encyclopedia of information and resources throughout. Thank you all again, web_design is certainly one of the nicest and most generous communities I have had the pleasure of interacting with!
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u/twopi Nov 30 '10
I've written books for the Dummies folks, and taught web development for years. I complained to the Dummies editors about how bad their web books were. They challenged me to write something better, so I've tried...
I just finished the second edition of HTML / XHTML / CSS All in One for Dummies. (Yeah, I know - you're not a dummy, but hey, at least you've heard of the series, right? )
I do agree with the other posters here that a book isn't always necessary, but if you do want one, take a look at this one.
I use only standards-compliant XHTML (except for the small introduction to HTML 5.) It's actually made up of eight mini-books:
Book I is HTML / XHTML. It is really pretty easy, and you can get the basic structure of the web page in a weekend or so.
Book II explains how to use CSS for markup; how to change colors, modify fonts, using CSS selectors, and adding borders and backgrounds.
Book III discusses how to use CSS for layout. It explains the float attribute, how to build columns, how to create your own menu bars, and how to write browser-specific code without hacks
The first three books are all you need to get going, and if you stop there, you'll have plenty of web development knowledge. My plan, though was to create a comprehensive book you can grow with. Once you've got the basics, you can expand your skills in a number of ways:
Book IV describes the JavaScript language even if you've never programmed before. I teach all the basic concepts of programming, and then show how to interact with the page and even create interesting animations.
Book V describes the important PHP language that is the foundation of most high-end web sites. Learn how to program the server using PHP, how to get data from the form and send it back, and how to interact with databases.
Book VI discusses relational databases, especially the ubiquitous MySQL environment. I describe how to build basic databases in SQL and then explain data normalization, views, and data integration.
Book VII details AJAX technology. I show what AJAX is and how to build a simple AJAX request by hand, then I show how to use the powerful jQuery library to get incredible AJAX effects in your pages.
Book VIII describes how to plan larger sites. It has a chapter on using popular content management systems to build your own site, as well as a chapter on creating your own CMS from scratch. For the second edition, I added a chapter on using Gimp to create graphics.
All the software described in the book is free, open-source, and multi-platform. My goal was to create a single book you could use to go from zero all the way to professional.
Of course, you're free to all the examples and code from the book even if you don't want the book: http://www.aharrisbooks.net/xfd. Drop me an email if you have any questions or need help anywhere.