Cascading Style Sheets: The Designer's Edge

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 304 pages
• Published by: Sybex
• Edition: 1st Edition March 11, 2003
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0782141846
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0782141849
• Book Dimensions: 10.1 x 8 x 0.7 inches
• Weighs: 1.8 pounds

Product Review
"Every Web designer should have a copy of this book[It] takes something possibly difficult and makes it very easy." -- Jennifer Kyrnin, Web Design Guide

"Substantially more useful than even the best tutorial I've seenIt is a must-have for every web designer/developer." -- IT-Enquirer

Product Description
CSS is finally supported by all modern web browsers, empowering Web designers to do what they've been hungering to do for years: control layout more precisely, use color more effectively, and expand typographic options beyond the frustrating limitations of the past. So where to begin? Where can you get design-focused instruction on CSS while learning the technical details?

Cascading Style Sheets: The Designer's Edge is precisely the resource you've been looking for. Written by renowned web designer Molly Holzschlag, this book begins with an in-depth look at structured markup, both XHTML and CSS. It then explains how to use CSS to achieve specific design goals involving typography, color, layout, and more. Finally, it deconstructs a series of impressive designs, showing you how the authors used CSS to maximize their efficiency and get exactly the right effect.

Key topics you'll learn about include:
* Writing valid XHTML
* Authoring effective CSS rules
* Working with classes and IDs
* Validating your CSS
* Creating great typographical designs with CSS
* Using CSS for backgrounds, borders, and color
* Creating multiple link styles
* Using absolute positioning
* Working with relative positioning
* Positioning with float
* Creating great CSS layouts

Reader Reviews
I grabbed this book at Barnes & Noble and sat in the cafe with a cup of coffee just to check it out. 2 hours later I felt like I had just learned an amazing amount of information. When I got home I started reading the reviews of this book on Amazon and was dumbfounded by the criticism of this book. This book is fantastic for the person who hates "computer talk" books. You know what I'm talking about... books that are written so dryly and by people who write so technically that you can barely understand anything you are reading. This book is like a breath of fresh air. The fact that the author provides a history of SGML, HTML, XHTML, CSS and such is great because it gives you an underlying basis of knowledge, a foundation from which to grow. Her style of writing is conversational, perhaps a bit repetitive but that helps drive home the concepts. I did not find it distracting at all. I like this style of writing because it helps me to learn better. The book takes a measured, logical approach to the subject. I put this book down realizing that I had LEARNED the fundamentals of CSS without any confusion whatsoever. This book is not intended for people already familiar with CSS concepts. It is best for newbies to the subject. I've looked at a lot of CSS books and I would rate this as one of the best I've ever read. Even better than the knowledgable Eric Meyer books. I prefer this author's style of writing compard to Eric's. However, Eric's books are more comprehensive and are better suited for taking you to the next level. The biggest negative with this book is that there are numerous typos and errors. an astute reader may pick them out quite easily but it is a very poor reflection on the publisher and that is why I can only rate this book a 4.