Recommended books about web design
This site introduces recommended books about web design. This site also provides you the reviews from the readers. I hope this site will help you to choose the book to buy.
Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, 2nd Edition
| Title | Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, 2nd Edition |
| Author | Steve Krug |
| Publisher | New Riders Press |
| Price | $4000 |
| Available | Usually ships in 24 hours |
Description
Five years and more than 100,000 copies after it was first published, it's hard to imagine anyone working in Web design who hasn't read Steve Krug's "instant classic" on Web usability, but people are still discovering it every day.| In this second edition, Steve adds three new chapters in the same style as the original: wry and entertaining, yet loaded with insights and practical advice for novice and veteran alike.| Don't be surprised if it completely changes the way you think about Web design.
Three New Chapters!
"I thought usability was the enemy of design until I read the first edition of this book.| Don't Make Me Think! showed me how to put myself in the position of the person who uses my site.| After reading it over a couple of hours and putting its ideas to work for the past five years, I can say it has done more to improve my abilities as a Web designer than any other book.
In this second edition, Steve Krug adds essential ammunition for those whose bosses, clients, stakeholders, and marketing managers insist on doing the wrong thing.| If you design, write, program, own, or manage Web sites, you must read this book."| -- Jeffrey Zeldman, author of Designing with Web Standards
Three New Chapters!
- Usability as common courtesy -- Why people really leave Web sites
- Web Accessibility, CSS, and you -- Making sites usable and accessible
- Help! My boss wants me to ______. -- Surviving executive design whims
"I thought usability was the enemy of design until I read the first edition of this book.| Don't Make Me Think! showed me how to put myself in the position of the person who uses my site.| After reading it over a couple of hours and putting its ideas to work for the past five years, I can say it has done more to improve my abilities as a Web designer than any other book.
In this second edition, Steve Krug adds essential ammunition for those whose bosses, clients, stakeholders, and marketing managers insist on doing the wrong thing.| If you design, write, program, own, or manage Web sites, you must read this book."| -- Jeffrey Zeldman, author of Designing with Web Standards
Description
Usability design is one of the most important--yet often least attractive--tasks for a Web developer. In Don't Make Me Think, author Steve Krug lightens up the subject with good humor and excellent, to-the-point examples.
The title of the book is its chief personal design premise. All of the tips, techniques, and examples presented revolve around users being able to surf merrily through a well-designed site with minimal cognitive strain. Readers will quickly come to agree with many of the book's assumptions, such as "We don't read pages--we scan them" and "We don't figure out how things work--we muddle through." Coming to grips with such hard facts sets the stage for Web design that then produces topnotch sites.
Using an attractive mix of full-color screen shots, cute cartoons and diagrams, and informative sidebars, the book keeps your attention and drives home some crucial points. Much of the content is devoted to proper use of conventions and content layout, and the "before and after" examples are superb. Topics such as the wise use of rollovers and usability testing are covered using a consistently practical approach.
This is the type of book you can blow through in a couple of evenings. But despite its conciseness, it will give you an expert's ability to judge Web design. You'll never form a first impression of a site in the same way again. --Stephen W. Plain
Topics covered:
- User patterns
- Designing for scanning
- Wise use of copy
- Navigation design
- Home page layout
- Usability testing
Don't Make Me Think!
Review DateF2008-11-13 RatingF
Review DateF2008-11-13 RatingF
This is a great book - clearly written, easy reading, good examples, good references to other books/websites/sources. I highly recommend it to anyone designing websites, and parts of it to anyone who is hiring someone else to design or redesign their site. By using the methods described in this book and looking at other sites the person has done, you will better assess the quality of the person you are interviewing for the work.
Great book - a must read
Review DateF2008-11-12 RatingF
Review DateF2008-11-12 RatingF
Being new to the web world, this book is a God-send. It's practical, straight-forward, easy to read and humorous. It's a great introduction to website usability for those who design, creative direct or do copywriting for websites.
Good, but the last part made me think
Review DateF2008-11-11 RatingF
Review DateF2008-11-11 RatingF
Very useful information, but like many books bogs down a little on the back end. Other than that, the book practices what it preaches. I've given my copy to our web design team and plan to see it passed around.
Great
Review DateF2008-11-11 RatingF
Review DateF2008-11-11 RatingF
Came in the same condition it said it would be in: new. It arrived on time and I didn't have to worry that it wasn't coming. Great service!
Must read for understanding Web Design
Review DateF2008-11-08 RatingF
Review DateF2008-11-08 RatingF
Easy to read, and very accurate, I highly recommend this book if you are in any way involved with web design, layout, style, or usability of a site, then this is a must read book. Thank you Steve Krug.
Flash CS4 Professional Digital Classroom
| Title | Flash CS4 Professional Digital Classroom |
| Author | Fred Gerantabee,Aquent Creative Team |
| Publisher | Wiley |
| Price | $4999 |
| Available | Usually ships in 24 hours |
Description
Flash CS4 Professional Digital Classroom is like having a personal instructor guiding readers through each lesson, while they work at their own pace. This book includes 13 self-paced lessons that let readers discover essential skills and explore new features and capabilities of Adobe Flash Professional. Every lesson is presented in full color with step-by-step instructions. Learning is reinforced with video tutorials and lesson files on a companion DVD that were developed by the same team of Adobe Certified Instructors and Flash experts who have created many of the official training titles for Adobe Systems. Each video tutorial is approximately five minutes long and demonstrates and explains the concepts and features covered in the lesson. This training package shows the basics of using the program, such as using layers and instances to build animation sequences, as well as advance features, such as using ActionScript to create interactive Web page components. Jam-packed with information, this book and DVD takes users from the basics through intermediate level topics and helps readers find the information they need in a clear, approachable manner.
Flash CS4 showed me the Light!
Review DateF2008-11-13 RatingF
Review DateF2008-11-13 RatingF
This Flash CS4 Professional tutorial helped me bridge the gap between my traditional print-world experience, and taking advantage of the interactive world of Flash CS4. The lessons are self-paced, and the DVD helped me reinforce my new Flash skills, or take a few minutes to review areas where I still needed some work.
This is the fourth book I've used in the Digital Classroom series. The pace is always perfect. And Flash CS4 helped explain everything from animation sequences to the opportunities of ActionScript.
Digital Classroom Flash CS4 showed me the Light!
This is the fourth book I've used in the Digital Classroom series. The pace is always perfect. And Flash CS4 helped explain everything from animation sequences to the opportunities of ActionScript.
Digital Classroom Flash CS4 showed me the Light!
Web Analytics: An Hour a Day
| Title | Web Analytics: An Hour a Day |
| Author | Avinash Kaushik |
| Publisher | Sybex |
| Price | $2999 |
| Available | Usually ships in 24 hours |
Description
Written by an in-the-trenches practitioner, this step-by-step guide shows you how to implement a successful Web analytics strategy. Web analytics expert Avinash Kaushik, in his thought-provoking style, debunks leading myths and leads you on a path to gaining actionable insights from your analytics efforts. Discover how to move beyond clickstream analysis, why qualitative data should be your focus, and more insights and techniques that will help you develop a customer-centric mindset without sacrificing your companyfs bottom line.
Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.
Indepth
Review DateF2008-10-04 RatingF
Review DateF2008-10-04 RatingF
This book is fantastic. Not only does it cover everything, but it does it in a simple way, an hour a day!
I reckon once you have finished this book you will be a head of the majority.
Must get for analytics.
I reckon once you have finished this book you will be a head of the majority.
Must get for analytics.
The only book on Web Analytics you'll ever need
Review DateF2008-08-22 RatingF
Review DateF2008-08-22 RatingF
Technologies evolve, but the PROCESS by which we should collect and analyze online data in order to gain solid, actionable insights will remain constant for the foreseeable future.
I have been fortunate enough to work with some of the smartest online marketers in the business, and, to say the very least, most of these people -- especially those in the analytics community -- seem content to share their expertise in the most confusing and theoretical manner possible. But not Avinash Kaushik. And in "An Hour a Day," Avinash proves why he is the world's most trusted name in analytics: he brings us up to his level without unnecessary jargon, so we can actually understand how to do this stuff!
Without question, this book is required reading for ANY online marketer, business owner, or anyone currently outsourcing their web analytics. (Warning: You may become better at this than the people you're paying to do it for you!)
Have a website you're not properly tracking? You're not alone! Less than a third of e-commerce and B2B sites have sufficient web analytics tracking -- let alone a process by which to glean insight from it -- and it's not the technology's fault. The problem is that most people don't understand the VALUE and NECESSITY of web analytics. They don't realize it's the difference between sink or swim. For most organizations, web analytics is an afterthought; something pawned off to those with technical knowledge when it should really be understood by those who need to use this data to make serious business decisions. Well, folks, those days are over. If all you know about your site is how many page views, uniques, or (*yikes*) "hits" it's getting, you're in much worse shape than you currently realize, simply because you have no idea how much money and attention you're missing out on if you have no clear goals in mind or a system by which to quantify it.
If you're not measuring it properly, how can you ever claim to have an online strategy that's working? How else will you know how successful your campaign is? How else will you know which elements to test and optimize?
Whether you're a beginner or you know just enough about web analytics to be dangerous, you should absolutely buy this book today. The book pays for itself a hundred fold in the very first hour of the very first day.
I have been fortunate enough to work with some of the smartest online marketers in the business, and, to say the very least, most of these people -- especially those in the analytics community -- seem content to share their expertise in the most confusing and theoretical manner possible. But not Avinash Kaushik. And in "An Hour a Day," Avinash proves why he is the world's most trusted name in analytics: he brings us up to his level without unnecessary jargon, so we can actually understand how to do this stuff!
Without question, this book is required reading for ANY online marketer, business owner, or anyone currently outsourcing their web analytics. (Warning: You may become better at this than the people you're paying to do it for you!)
Have a website you're not properly tracking? You're not alone! Less than a third of e-commerce and B2B sites have sufficient web analytics tracking -- let alone a process by which to glean insight from it -- and it's not the technology's fault. The problem is that most people don't understand the VALUE and NECESSITY of web analytics. They don't realize it's the difference between sink or swim. For most organizations, web analytics is an afterthought; something pawned off to those with technical knowledge when it should really be understood by those who need to use this data to make serious business decisions. Well, folks, those days are over. If all you know about your site is how many page views, uniques, or (*yikes*) "hits" it's getting, you're in much worse shape than you currently realize, simply because you have no idea how much money and attention you're missing out on if you have no clear goals in mind or a system by which to quantify it.
If you're not measuring it properly, how can you ever claim to have an online strategy that's working? How else will you know how successful your campaign is? How else will you know which elements to test and optimize?
Whether you're a beginner or you know just enough about web analytics to be dangerous, you should absolutely buy this book today. The book pays for itself a hundred fold in the very first hour of the very first day.
Not enough GA application info
Review DateF2008-08-14 RatingF
Review DateF2008-08-14 RatingF
My only issue is that the book doesn't address how to use google analytics more. He gives a lot of suggestions, but there isn't enough guidance in actually how to use GA to pull the data he recommends.
Gold Standard
Review DateF2008-07-31 RatingF
Review DateF2008-07-31 RatingF
This book is amazing. If you think you knew everything or are in an analysis slump, just flip through this book and you'll find something new to analyze.
Analytics for the intermediate user....
Review DateF2008-07-04 RatingF
Review DateF2008-07-04 RatingF
I have used Web Side Story...moved to Omniture....also work with Google Analytics.....This book does a good job of getting away from the mountains of data, to provide a clear cut "THINK ABOUT WHAT THE ANALYTICS MEAN" on a business basis- definitely worth the time investment.
Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML
| Title | Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML |
| Author | Eric Freeman,Elisabeth Freeman |
| Publisher | O'Reilly Media, Inc. |
| Price | $3999 |
| Available | Usually ships in 24 hours |
Description
Tired of reading HTML books that only make sense after you're an expert? Then it's about time you picked up Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML and really learned HTML. You want to learn HTML so you can finally create those web pages you've always wanted, so you can communicate more effectively with friends, family, fans, and fanatic customers. You also want to do it right so you can actually maintain and expand your Web pages over time, and so your web pages work in all the browsers and mobile devices out there. Oh, and if you've never heard of CSS, that's okay - we won't tell anyone you're still partying like it's 1999 - but if you're going to create Web pages in the 21st century then you'll want to know and understand CSS.
Learn the real secrets of creating Web pages, and why everything your boss told you about HTML tables is probably wrong (and what to do instead). Most importantly, hold your own with your co-worker (and impress cocktail party guests) when he casually mentions how his HTML is now strict, and his CSS is in an external style sheet.
With Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML, you'll avoid the embarrassment of thinking web-safe colors still matter, and the foolishness of slipping a font tag into your pages. Best of all, you'll learn HTML and CSS in a way that won't put you to sleep. If you've read a Head First book, you know what to expect: a visually-rich format designed for the way your brain works. Using the latest research in neurobiology, cognitive science, and learning theory, this book will load HTML, CSS, and XHTML into your brain in a way that sticks.
So what are you waiting for? Leave those other dusty books behind and come join us in Webville. Your tour is about to begin.
"Elegant design is at the core of every chapter here, each concept conveyed with equal doses of pragmatism and wit." --Ken Goldstein, Executive Vice President, Disney Online
"This book is a thoroughly modern introduction to forward-looking practices in web page markup and presentation." --Danny Goodman, author of Dynamic HTML: The Definitive Guide
"What used to be a long trial and error learning process has now been reduced neatly into an engaging paperback." --Mike Davidson, CEO, Newsvine, Inc.
"I love Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML--it teaches you everything you need to learn in a 'fun coated' format!" --Sally Applin, UI Designer and Artist
"I haven't had as much fun reading a book (other than Harry Potter) in years. And your book finally helped me break out of my hapless so-last-century way of creating web pages." --Professor David M. Arnow, Department of Computer and Information Science, Brooklyn College
"If you've ever had a family member who wanted you to design a website for them, buy them Head First HTML with CSS and XHTML. If you've ever asked a family member to design you a web site, buy this book. If you've ever bought an HTML book and ended up using it to level your desk, or for kindling on a cold winter day, buy this book. This is the book you've been waiting for. This is the learning system you've been waiting for." --Warren Kelly, Blogcritics.org
Really Good Beginner Book
Review DateF2008-11-10 RatingF
Review DateF2008-11-10 RatingF
This book turned out to be really really good. It takes you through all the basics without getting boring, and its pretty thorough. At the end they even tell you "where to go from here" instead of leaving you hanging like most books. I found myself regularly keeping up with reading it, and as long as you pace yourself, you can pick up decent working knowledge within a week or two.
interesting, but the real world is another thing
Review DateF2008-11-09 RatingF
Review DateF2008-11-09 RatingF
i read "head first html" with satisfaction, and it is very effective about learning theoretical good practices in web design (you definitely can't say complete, if you consider - just for example - how funny is the absolute positioning when you get the real mechanism in some third order blog)
i could say that there is no mention about serious advanced techniques to actually do what we all really see and experience in thousands of web pages, but this is not the point
the point is that in real world internet explorer is the pace maker, and the hearth of web is actually suffering from that
that means that this book does not say that (about) none of some serious css and design techniques will not work on internet explorer (you can say absolute positioning, floating, margins, pngs... check sitepoint css reference [...]-alphabetic and enjoy dozens of "red boxes" about internet explorer compatibility with css or run your acid 2 test at [...] or... well, it is a full time job)
what this book should have done THESE days (internet explorer 6 and 7 being still in use for years) is to teach the way to create real world webpages - "practice" (how WE can do it) after "theory" (how THEY at microsoft should do it)
but who cares real world? if you take the absolute positioning example again, you can see that it is one of main way internet explorer breaks your designs, but fortuity wants that there is no serious information about this topic in the book we are talking about (and you will complain that)
being serious, i see there is no critic and educational approach in head first series (you still think that java is the best language in the world? if you only read head first java you could think so)
so, no hope in next "versions" because head first is politically correct
i could say that there is no mention about serious advanced techniques to actually do what we all really see and experience in thousands of web pages, but this is not the point
the point is that in real world internet explorer is the pace maker, and the hearth of web is actually suffering from that
that means that this book does not say that (about) none of some serious css and design techniques will not work on internet explorer (you can say absolute positioning, floating, margins, pngs... check sitepoint css reference [...]-alphabetic and enjoy dozens of "red boxes" about internet explorer compatibility with css or run your acid 2 test at [...] or... well, it is a full time job)
what this book should have done THESE days (internet explorer 6 and 7 being still in use for years) is to teach the way to create real world webpages - "practice" (how WE can do it) after "theory" (how THEY at microsoft should do it)
but who cares real world? if you take the absolute positioning example again, you can see that it is one of main way internet explorer breaks your designs, but fortuity wants that there is no serious information about this topic in the book we are talking about (and you will complain that)
being serious, i see there is no critic and educational approach in head first series (you still think that java is the best language in the world? if you only read head first java you could think so)
so, no hope in next "versions" because head first is politically correct
Absolutely no words!
Review DateF2008-11-04 RatingF
Review DateF2008-11-04 RatingF
I am a begginner starting from scratch. Currently on page 470 of this 650 pages book. This book is fun and its very hard for me to put it down and let it rest. I am learning so much! I bought this book less then a week ago and I only have 200 pages to go. Amazing!! I thought it would take me forever, and id want to return the book after a day or two. ABSOLUTELY NOT! This is the best text book let alone the best html guide I have ever read. Cant wait for their PHP AND MYSQL book that is coming out only in DEC 08.
I dont know what else to say besides, if you want to learn the core of html and css the right way, this is diffenetly for you!
I dont know what else to say besides, if you want to learn the core of html and css the right way, this is diffenetly for you!
A Great Introduction
Review DateF2008-11-01 RatingF
Review DateF2008-11-01 RatingF
Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML was a great introduction to writing (x)html/css. The book is written in clear, simple language in a conversational style, and is filled with graphical cues to enhance recognition and comprehension. I particularly loved the focus on context -- it's so helpful to finally understand the *why* behind the rules! The authors are upbeat and practical throughout (although their jokes do get a bit old), and their Q&A sections frequently anticipated my questions with mind-reader accuracy. The exercises in the book were perfectly pitched - demonstrative, useful, and repetitive without being boring. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a solid, practical introduction to html / xhtml & css.
Pure gold!
Review DateF2008-10-27 RatingF
Review DateF2008-10-27 RatingF
This is the first book in a long time that I read cover-to-cover. It's pure gold! You can hand this book to someone with zero HTML or CSS experience, and when they are finished, they will be producing valid XHTML with CSS. This book doesn't even bother teaching the old HTML tags to avoid confusion. It's also good for experienced HTML programmers wanting to move to XHTML and CSS. A very humorous and fun book! It's well worth every penny.
Head First Design Patterns (Head First)
| Title | Head First Design Patterns (Head First) |
| Author | Elisabeth Freeman,Eric Freeman,Bert Bates,Kathy Sierra |
| Publisher | O'Reilly Media, Inc. |
| Price | $4495 |
| Available | Usually ships in 24 hours |
Description
You're not alone.
At any given moment, somewhere in the world someone struggles with the same software design problems you have. You know you don't want to reinvent the wheel (or worse, a flat tire), so you look to Design Patterns--the lessons learned by those who've faced the same problems. With Design Patterns, you get to take advantage of the best practices and experience of others, so that you can spend your time on...something else. Something more challenging. Something more complex. Something more fun.
You want to learn about the patterns that matter--why to use them, when to use them, how to use them (and when NOT to use them). But you don't just want to see how patterns look in a book, you want to know how they look "in the wild". In their native environment. In other words, in real world applications. You also want to learn how patterns are used in the Java API, and how to exploit Java's built-in pattern support in your own code.
You want to learn the real OO design principles and why everything your boss told you about inheritance might be wrong (and what to do instead). You want to learn how those principles will help the next time you're up a creek without a design pattern.
Most importantly, you want to learn the "secret language" of Design Patterns so that you can hold your own with your co-worker (and impress cocktail party guests) when he casually mentions his stunningly clever use of Command, Facade, Proxy, and Factory in between sips of a martini. You'll easily counter with your deep understanding of why Singleton isn't as simple as it sounds, how the Factory is so often misunderstood, or on the real relationship between Decorator, Facade and Adapter.
With Head First Design Patterns, you'll avoid the embarrassment of thinking Decorator is something from the "Trading Spaces" show. Best of all, in a way that won't put you to sleep! We think your time is too important (and too short) to spend it struggling with academic texts.
If you've read a Head First book, you know what to expect--a visually rich format designed for the way your brain works. Using the latest research in neurobiology, cognitive science, and learning theory, Head First Design Patterns will load patterns into your brain in a way that sticks. In a way that lets you put them to work immediately. In a way that makes you better at solving software design problems, and better at speaking the language of patterns with others on your team.
At any given moment, somewhere in the world someone struggles with the same software design problems you have. You know you don't want to reinvent the wheel (or worse, a flat tire), so you look to Design Patterns--the lessons learned by those who've faced the same problems. With Design Patterns, you get to take advantage of the best practices and experience of others, so that you can spend your time on...something else. Something more challenging. Something more complex. Something more fun.
You want to learn about the patterns that matter--why to use them, when to use them, how to use them (and when NOT to use them). But you don't just want to see how patterns look in a book, you want to know how they look "in the wild". In their native environment. In other words, in real world applications. You also want to learn how patterns are used in the Java API, and how to exploit Java's built-in pattern support in your own code.
You want to learn the real OO design principles and why everything your boss told you about inheritance might be wrong (and what to do instead). You want to learn how those principles will help the next time you're up a creek without a design pattern.
Most importantly, you want to learn the "secret language" of Design Patterns so that you can hold your own with your co-worker (and impress cocktail party guests) when he casually mentions his stunningly clever use of Command, Facade, Proxy, and Factory in between sips of a martini. You'll easily counter with your deep understanding of why Singleton isn't as simple as it sounds, how the Factory is so often misunderstood, or on the real relationship between Decorator, Facade and Adapter.
With Head First Design Patterns, you'll avoid the embarrassment of thinking Decorator is something from the "Trading Spaces" show. Best of all, in a way that won't put you to sleep! We think your time is too important (and too short) to spend it struggling with academic texts.
If you've read a Head First book, you know what to expect--a visually rich format designed for the way your brain works. Using the latest research in neurobiology, cognitive science, and learning theory, Head First Design Patterns will load patterns into your brain in a way that sticks. In a way that lets you put them to work immediately. In a way that makes you better at solving software design problems, and better at speaking the language of patterns with others on your team.
Head First Design Patterns
Review DateF2008-10-20 RatingF
Review DateF2008-10-20 RatingF
Very good book with a very good concept. It takes your hand and follow you in understanding some important programming patterns which will make your life easier.
Great Book!
Review DateF2008-10-09 RatingF
Review DateF2008-10-09 RatingF
This was my first book from Head First, and i love it! The book uses an easy approach (besides the schema in each chapter) to make you understand the different patterns. I think the book is good for junior and mid senior people.
Head First Design Patterns (Head First)
Review DateF2008-10-07 RatingF
Review DateF2008-10-07 RatingF
This book is like eating icecream. You expend Zero effort in learning valuable information about design patterns for oo development.
This is how learning should be
Review DateF2008-09-24 RatingF
Review DateF2008-09-24 RatingF
First, a little background: I have been programming since 1998 and my primary programming language is C#. My main area of development is ASP.NET websites.
For years I have been trying to get my head around software design patterns, but I kept running into road blocks. I tried learning about them from a combination of websites and books, but none of them seemed to communicate the practical reasons for learning design patterns. I decided to give up on learning them.
Several years went by and the gnawing question about the usefulness of software design patterns resurfaced in my head. I came across Head First Design Patterns, saw the great reviews and decided to take a chance. I am sure glad I did.
Not only is this easily the best design patterns book I have read, this may be one of the best books, teaching a complicated technology topic, I have ever read. This book was created with me in mind. The book is educational, entertaining, and does a good job of showing the practical side of the topic. The examples are all in Java, but I was able to easily translate them into C#.
If you want to learn object oriented design patterns, buy this book. I will definitely be checking out other Head First titles.
For years I have been trying to get my head around software design patterns, but I kept running into road blocks. I tried learning about them from a combination of websites and books, but none of them seemed to communicate the practical reasons for learning design patterns. I decided to give up on learning them.
Several years went by and the gnawing question about the usefulness of software design patterns resurfaced in my head. I came across Head First Design Patterns, saw the great reviews and decided to take a chance. I am sure glad I did.
Not only is this easily the best design patterns book I have read, this may be one of the best books, teaching a complicated technology topic, I have ever read. This book was created with me in mind. The book is educational, entertaining, and does a good job of showing the practical side of the topic. The examples are all in Java, but I was able to easily translate them into C#.
If you want to learn object oriented design patterns, buy this book. I will definitely be checking out other Head First titles.
Readable and Understandable
Review DateF2008-09-13 RatingF
Review DateF2008-09-13 RatingF
This is a book that I recommend to all of the software developers I work with, it is so much more than the gang of 4, it is actually readable. The unique format used to address the topics helps with retention and understandability. The only complaint that I would have about the book, and the reason I gave it 4 stars, is that the examples used are impractical and sometimes silly. The authors also could have alluded more to the usages of algorithms and efficiency of code.
Dreamweaver CS3: The Missing Manual
| Title | Dreamweaver CS3: The Missing Manual |
| Author | David McFarland |
| Publisher | Pogue Press |
| Price | $4499 |
| Available | Usually ships in 24 hours |
Description
Welcome to Dreamweaver CS3. This new version of the popular web design software offers a rich environment for building professional sites, with drag-and-drop simplicity, clean HTML code, and dynamic database-driven web site creation tools. Moreover, it's now integrated more tightly with Adobe's other products: Photoshop, InDesign, Flash, and their siblings. But with such sophisticated features, the software isn't simple. So say hello to Dreamweaver CS3: The Missing Manual, the fifth edition of this bestselling book by experienced web site trainer and author David McFarland. This book helps both first-time and experienced web designers bring stunning, interactive web sites to life. With jargon-free language and clear descriptions, this new edition addresses both beginners who need step-by-step guidance as well as long-time Dreamweaver users who need a handy reference to address the inner-workings of the program. Dreamweaver CS3: The Missing Manual teaches designers how to construct and manage web sites by examining web-page components and Dreamweaver's capabilities through "live examples." With a complete A-Z guide to designing, organizing, building and deploying a web site for those with no web design experience, this book: Takes you through the basics to advanced techniques to control the appearance of your web pages with CSS Shows you how to design dynamic database-driven web sites, from blogs to product catalogs, and from shopping carts to newsletter signup forms Teaches you how to master your web site, and manage thousands of pages effortlessly Witty and objective, Dreamweaver CS3: The Missing Manual is a must for anyone who uses this highly popular program, from beginners toprofessionals. Altogether, it's the ultimate atlas for Dreamweaver CS3.
good book... great price
Review DateF2008-11-16 RatingF
Review DateF2008-11-16 RatingF
looked in several book stores for a good ref book on Dreamweaver. have several o'reilly ref books already and was glad to find this one at a reasonable price... and received it in 3 days with standard shipping! nice...
Dreamweaver CS3 - Manual
Review DateF2008-11-15 RatingF
Review DateF2008-11-15 RatingF
This is a great book and helpful in quickly finding information that you need to assist you with building your website/pages using the Dreamweaver CS3 software program. Was able to find the information I needed in a minimum of time. Felt that the price was reasonable for the manual and know that I will be using this for quite sometime.
It is a great book
Review DateF2008-10-30 RatingF
Review DateF2008-10-30 RatingF
I can't believe how much I have learned in the past few days just by reading this book. I am already doing some websites and as continue reading I discover more each day. It is a fantastic book. By the way, i went to NYU and the professor was using in class all the excercises from this book. I couldn't belive I paid 500 dollars to school when I could have done it on my own. So, get this book now!
A HUGE help!
Review DateF2008-10-16 RatingF
Review DateF2008-10-16 RatingF
Yes, this is a huge volume - as are most software "how-to" and other reference books - but this is one you'll definitely want to tackle if you're interested in building your skills with Dreamweaver CS3. To say there's a ton of good information goes without saying. Any good manual of this type can dish out the factoids, charts and examples in mass quantities, and "The Missing Manual" for Dreamweaver is no exception. To their credit, the authors still manage to present all that information with a good amount of humor and enough real-world examples to make it easy to digest and understand.
Especially useful are the "hands-on" projects and lessons contained in each chapter. You get a taste of topics such as text formatting, page layout, creating / modifying CSS rules and lots, lots more. Each lesson is simple and direct - click here, type this, etc. Step by step. Many of the lessons build on each other, so you can see a complete web page come together with more and more features and complexity. All of the lesson and example files are downloadable from the book's online companion site, so there's no need to find (and store and protect) a CD that might have been included in the book. The site also gives updated information and provides links to more help... very useful.
You probably won't read this book all at once - not unless you're an absolute newcomer to web design and Dreamweaver. If that's the case, you can work through all of the lessons, and come away with a very good understanding of the program's main functions and features. The discussion (and lessons) on CSS alone are well worth the read. Even though the authors say this book is not intended to provide a complete reference for CSS, the material presented greatly increased my knowledge and confidence in using this particularly useful bit of web-design magic.
In short: a very useful, very reader-friendly book that can help any new- to moderately-skilled Dreamweaver user. Advanced users probably know all this stuff already, but for the rest of us, "The Missing Manual" is a great addition to a personal software reference library. Highly recommended.
Bill Sklodowski
Author of the forthcoming book: "PC Smarts for Small Business"
Personal & Small Business Coaching
Digital Marketing / Creative Services
www.PcTechandTraining.com
Especially useful are the "hands-on" projects and lessons contained in each chapter. You get a taste of topics such as text formatting, page layout, creating / modifying CSS rules and lots, lots more. Each lesson is simple and direct - click here, type this, etc. Step by step. Many of the lessons build on each other, so you can see a complete web page come together with more and more features and complexity. All of the lesson and example files are downloadable from the book's online companion site, so there's no need to find (and store and protect) a CD that might have been included in the book. The site also gives updated information and provides links to more help... very useful.
You probably won't read this book all at once - not unless you're an absolute newcomer to web design and Dreamweaver. If that's the case, you can work through all of the lessons, and come away with a very good understanding of the program's main functions and features. The discussion (and lessons) on CSS alone are well worth the read. Even though the authors say this book is not intended to provide a complete reference for CSS, the material presented greatly increased my knowledge and confidence in using this particularly useful bit of web-design magic.
In short: a very useful, very reader-friendly book that can help any new- to moderately-skilled Dreamweaver user. Advanced users probably know all this stuff already, but for the rest of us, "The Missing Manual" is a great addition to a personal software reference library. Highly recommended.
Bill Sklodowski
Author of the forthcoming book: "PC Smarts for Small Business"
Personal & Small Business Coaching
Digital Marketing / Creative Services
www.PcTechandTraining.com
Fantasticaly Helpful
Review DateF2008-10-14 RatingF
Review DateF2008-10-14 RatingF
This book provides a clear index, which makes it the go to place for any Dreamweaver questions.
The Web Designer's Idea Book: The Ultimate Guide To Themes, Trends & Styles In Website Design
| Title | The Web Designer's Idea Book: The Ultimate Guide To Themes, Trends & Styles In Website Design |
| Author | Patrick Mcneil |
| Publisher | How |
| Price | $2500 |
| Available | Usually ships in 24 hours |
Description
Inspiring Web Design at a Glance
The Web Designerfs Idea Book includes more than 700 websites arranged thematically, so you can find inspiration for layout, color, style and more. Author Patrick McNeil has cataloged more than 20,000 sites on his website, and showcased in this book are the very best examples.
Sites are organized by color, design style, type, theme, element and structure. Itfs easy to use and reference again and again, whether youfre talking with a co-worker or discussing website design options with a client. As a handy desk reference for design layout, color and style, this book is a must-have for starting new projects.
Awesome Resource for Inspiration
Review DateF2008-11-06 RatingF
Review DateF2008-11-06 RatingF
This book has a huge selection of design style examples, all organized in a very intelligent way. The print quality is very good. As a reference book, this is a must have for any web designer looking for some inspiration.
Well Organized Inspiration for Web Designers!
Review DateF2008-10-31 RatingF
Review DateF2008-10-31 RatingF
This is a very well organized and inspiring reference book for web designers. Patrick McNeil did a fantastic job of rounding up a thorough and eclectic mix of websites. A must have for any web designer.
Current Websites for Today's Industry
Review DateF2008-10-30 RatingF
Review DateF2008-10-30 RatingF
This book is a great resource for inspiration if you're in a creative rut. The best part about it is that it's a collection of modern websites that apply to today's design standards, not some ancient collection of Web 1.0 artifacts. And there are plenty of examples within it.
Exactly what it says on the tin!
Review DateF2008-10-27 RatingF
Review DateF2008-10-27 RatingF
This book does just one thing, it showcases beautifully made websites and the author does this extremely well. The Web Designer's Idea Book is a must have for any web designer/graphic designer out there to have real world examples of good design on hand.
jQuery in Action
| Title | jQuery in Action |
| Author | Bear Bibeault,Yehuda Katz |
| Publisher | Manning Publications |
| Price | $3999 |
| Available | Usually ships in 24 hours |
Description
A good web development framework anticipates what you need to do and makes those tasks easier and more efficient; jQuery practically reads your mind. Developers of every stripe-hobbyists and professionals alike-fall in love with jQuery the minute they've reduced 20 lines of clunky JavaScript into three lines of elegant, readable code. This new, concise JavaScript library radically simplifies how you traverse HTML documents, handle events, perform animations, and add Ajax interactions to your web pages.
jQuery in Action, like jQuery itself, is a concise tool designed to make you a more efficient and effective web developer. In a short 300 pages, this book introduces you to the jQuery programming model and guides you through the major features and techniques you'll need to be productive immediately. The book anchors each new concept in the tasks you'll tackle in day-to-day web development and offers unique lab pages where you immediately put your jQuery knowledge to work.
There are dozens of JavaScript libraries available now, with major companies like Google, Yahoo and AOL open-sourcing their in-house tools. This book shows you how jQuery stacks up against other libraries and helps you navigate interaction with other tools and frameworks.
jQuery in Action offers a rich investigation of the up-and-coming jQuery library for client-side JavaScript. This book covers all major features and capabilities in a manner focused on getting the reader up and running with jQuery from the very first sections. Web Developers reading this book will gain a deep understanding of how to use jQuery to simplify their pages and lives, as well as learn the philosophy behind writing jQuery-enhanced pages.
Review
Review DateF2008-11-03 RatingF
Review DateF2008-11-03 RatingF
This book provided me the needed information to be able to use JQuery practically and efficiently.
excellent source for jquery
Review DateF2008-10-24 RatingF
Review DateF2008-10-24 RatingF
I have committed myself to using jquery exclusively for my javascript applications but not much is written about it so it is difficult to solve problems. This book answered a lot of my questions and cleared up many difficulties. I use it as a reference whenever I am stuck. Thank you for writing it.
Good, but just a hair thin
Review DateF2008-10-22 RatingF
Review DateF2008-10-22 RatingF
This is a really nice book on jquery. I've been using jQuery on a few projects, but this really helped point me to several things I could be doing better. All too often you find yourself following a tutorial blindly, without full understanding. This book set a few of my "tutorial assumptions" straight.
I only wish it had a little more meat to it. I think it's just a matter of a few things I'd hoped to find not being there though. Definitely suggest this book if you're serious about messing with jQuery in a real project.
I only wish it had a little more meat to it. I think it's just a matter of a few things I'd hoped to find not being there though. Definitely suggest this book if you're serious about messing with jQuery in a real project.
a great "get to know jquery" book
Review DateF2008-10-21 RatingF
Review DateF2008-10-21 RatingF
reading this book will assist you when working with jquery. it is very well written. short and to the point. worth buying
Super book!
Review DateF2008-10-07 RatingF
Review DateF2008-10-07 RatingF
I really have tattered the edges of this book. Normally, I would read a technical book like this, extract all of the information I needed, and then set it back on the book shelf. Not with jQuery in Action! I bring it to work, and then I take it back home in the evening. It is an outstanding book for any programmer who is really serious about keeping all of the user events at the browser level; instead of always going back to the server for something. This book has raised my level of awareness of all of the DOM-level programming available with the use of simple jQuery scripting. Thanks Bear and Yehuda for all of your hard work. Please keep on writing and authoring!!
Landing Page Optimization: The Definitive Guide to Testing and Tuning for Conversions
| Title | Landing Page Optimization: The Definitive Guide to Testing and Tuning for Conversions |
| Author | Tim Ash |
| Publisher | Sybex |
| Price | $2999 |
| Available | Usually ships in 24 hours |
Description
How much money are you losing because of poor landing page design? In this comprehensive, step-by-step guide, youfll learn all the skills necessary to dramatically improve your bottom line, including identifying mission critical parts of your website and their true economic value, defining important visitor classes and key conversion tasks, | gaining insight on customer decision-making, uncovering problems with your page and deciding which elements to test, developing an action plan, and avoiding common pitfalls. Includes a companion website and a detailed review of the Google Website Optimizer tool.
An instant online marketing classic
Review DateF2008-11-12 RatingF
Review DateF2008-11-12 RatingF
Tim truly "gets it" when it comes to landing page optimization. This book is "right on the money".
Broad but extremely thin -- beginners only
Review DateF2008-10-18 RatingF
Review DateF2008-10-18 RatingF
If you know absolutely nothing about marketing or web commerce, this may be the book for you. It touches on a great many important subjects, and provides a useful -- if brief -- introduction to each.
If, on the other hand, you have ANY experience at all with basic marketing principles and the concepts and techniques behind optimizing your web site to maximize customer response, you will find this book quite tedious.
Simply put, nothing in this book gets more than surface treatment. Hundreds of very valuable concepts are introduced but none is ever fleshed out in a useful fashion. Practical examples are almost non-existent. Case studies are not used. Techniques are described in the broadest terms so that they may apply to any of a million different contexts or scenarios. This approach renders the book nearly useless to anyone who has even a little bit of knowledge in this area.
After reading a few chapters, I was simply bored out of my mind. I switched to scanning sections and dropping in periodically to see if the level of detail increased, but it did not. I do not consider myself an expert by any means, but there was nothing here that I found enlightening or even useful. It's all too bland and general.
I started the web site for my small business about five years ago, and constantly seek out new sources of insight into how I can improve it. The information in this book was just too generalized to be of any use.
If you are new to web marketing, use this as a primer, but you will soon be itching for a more practical resource. A shorter but infinitely more helpful (and entertaining) primer might be something like Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, 2nd Edition. From there, you will need individual books on things like analytics, keywords, SEO, pricing, copywriting, etc.
In that vein, I thought I was buying a book about optimizing my landing pages (a very big and complex subject all its own). This book touches on that, but not in a way that I found particularly detailed or useful. A better title for this book might be, "Introduction to Marketing (Web Edition)".
If, on the other hand, you have ANY experience at all with basic marketing principles and the concepts and techniques behind optimizing your web site to maximize customer response, you will find this book quite tedious.
Simply put, nothing in this book gets more than surface treatment. Hundreds of very valuable concepts are introduced but none is ever fleshed out in a useful fashion. Practical examples are almost non-existent. Case studies are not used. Techniques are described in the broadest terms so that they may apply to any of a million different contexts or scenarios. This approach renders the book nearly useless to anyone who has even a little bit of knowledge in this area.
After reading a few chapters, I was simply bored out of my mind. I switched to scanning sections and dropping in periodically to see if the level of detail increased, but it did not. I do not consider myself an expert by any means, but there was nothing here that I found enlightening or even useful. It's all too bland and general.
I started the web site for my small business about five years ago, and constantly seek out new sources of insight into how I can improve it. The information in this book was just too generalized to be of any use.
If you are new to web marketing, use this as a primer, but you will soon be itching for a more practical resource. A shorter but infinitely more helpful (and entertaining) primer might be something like Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, 2nd Edition. From there, you will need individual books on things like analytics, keywords, SEO, pricing, copywriting, etc.
In that vein, I thought I was buying a book about optimizing my landing pages (a very big and complex subject all its own). This book touches on that, but not in a way that I found particularly detailed or useful. A better title for this book might be, "Introduction to Marketing (Web Edition)".
Design websites for visitors & not for yourself...
Review DateF2008-10-16 RatingF
Review DateF2008-10-16 RatingF
Tim Ash provides an exhaustive study of design & testing so you can learn how to compel your websites' visitors to take action. This book inspired a paradigm shift in my web design philosophy. Before I really had no philosophy - only designs. Now I am in the process of retooling all of my sites to focus on usability & the needs of visitors. I hope I can maintain the discipline to test for more than just functionality & actually look at testing for conversions.
A Must Have
Review DateF2008-10-11 RatingF
Review DateF2008-10-11 RatingF
I immediately digested this book as soon as I got my hands on it. It is a must have for those in the industry as a developer, consultant or merchant. This book provide critical information you shouldn't be without!
Easy to digest and results oriented.
Review DateF2008-09-22 RatingF
Review DateF2008-09-22 RatingF
The author has accomplished a difficult feat indeed - explaining the variety of methods and mechanisms of multivariate testing simply, plainly, and with real world application.
I work in the Direct Response space, we've used multivariate testing for a number of years and actively subscribe to a number of newsletters and whitepapers on the subject. I would consider myself an expert on the process and technologies, yet still found a wealth of new and refreshing information in this book.
In particular, the methodology behind calculating the real dollars and cents increases is well executed.
All around easy to reccomend.
I work in the Direct Response space, we've used multivariate testing for a number of years and actively subscribe to a number of newsletters and whitepapers on the subject. I would consider myself an expert on the process and technologies, yet still found a wealth of new and refreshing information in this book.
In particular, the methodology behind calculating the real dollars and cents increases is well executed.
All around easy to reccomend.
JavaScript: The Good Parts
| Title | JavaScript: The Good Parts |
| Author | Douglas Crockford |
| Publisher | O'Reilly Media, Inc. |
| Price | $2999 |
| Available | Usually ships in 24 hours |
Description
Most programming languages contain good and bad parts, but JavaScript has more than its share of the bad, having been developed and released in a hurry before it could be refined. This authoritative book scrapes away these bad features to reveal a subset of JavaScript that's more reliable, readable, and maintainable than the language as a whole-a subset you can use to create truly extensible and efficient code. Considered the JavaScript expert by many people in the development community, author Douglas Crockford identifies the abundance of good ideas that make JavaScript an outstanding object-oriented programming language-ideas such as functions, loose typing, dynamic objects, and an expressive object literal notation. Unfortunately, these good ideas are mixed in with bad and downright awful ideas, like a programming model based on global variables. When Java applets failed, JavaScript became the language of the Web by default, making its popularity almost completely independent of its qualities as a programming language. In JavaScript: The Good Parts, Crockford finally digs through the steaming pile of good intentions and blunders to give you a detailed look at all the genuinely elegant parts of JavaScript, including: Syntax Objects Functions Inheritance Arrays Regular expressions Methods Style Beautiful features
The real beauty? As you move ahead with the subset of JavaScript that this book presents, you'll also sidestep the need to unlearn all the bad parts. Of course, if you want to find out more about the bad parts and how to use them badly, simply consult any other JavaScript book. With JavaScript: The Good Parts, you'll discover a beautiful, elegant, lightweight and highlyexpressive language that lets you create effective code, whether you're managing object libraries or just trying to get Ajax to run fast. If you develop sites or applications for the Web, this book is an absolute must.
Not much there
Review DateF2008-11-05 RatingF
Review DateF2008-11-05 RatingF
I was very disapppointed in this book. For the price of the book there was very little content. I am returning this book and buying something with more substance.
Second best book on JavaScript
Review DateF2008-10-26 RatingF
Review DateF2008-10-26 RatingF
This is an excellent book, as it concisely illustrates a number of details that would be impossible to find in other books. Moderate/advanced JavaScript programmers will gain the most from this book, it is not particularly geared towards the beginner.
The book has a very specific focus, so do not be deceived into thinking this book covers the entire language. For information like that, Flanagan's JavaScript The Definitive Guide will be better. This book, however, is an excellent discussion of the important features of the language. Highly recommended.
The book has a very specific focus, so do not be deceived into thinking this book covers the entire language. For information like that, Flanagan's JavaScript The Definitive Guide will be better. This book, however, is an excellent discussion of the important features of the language. Highly recommended.
Quality that I expect from O'Reilly
Review DateF2008-10-24 RatingF
Review DateF2008-10-24 RatingF
This is a book that you can easily read in one sitting. It will run you through parts of JavaScript commonly considered "advanced" and help you become a better JavaScript programmer. Unlike other books on JavaScript which seem interested on pretending JavaScript is a weak and dysfunctional cousin of Java, it embraces the JavaScript object model and teaches you to use it correctly.
I would strongly recommend anyone who intends to write JavaScript code read this book.
I would strongly recommend anyone who intends to write JavaScript code read this book.
Great book, skip the first edition or have the errata page bookmarked
Review DateF2008-10-22 RatingF
Review DateF2008-10-22 RatingF
The content in this book is simply incredible, and it should be read by anyone seriously interested in JavaScript. Many of the other reviews have described the content, but I was shocked to see not one mention of the glaring errors in the code examples.
O'Reilly provides a good errata resource, but every other code example in this book has either a missing semicolon that you have to hunt for (most common) or code that is completely wrong. Perhaps none of this has been mentioned due to the strong merits of the content -- but it appears nobody even did a quick review over the code in this book! If you are going to buy this to have on your desk for years to come, buy it on PDF now and wait for the second edition print for the errata corrections.
With that said, I'm not trying to troll on this great book. I want to give a heads up to people so they don't have to work part-time as a copy-editor.
O'Reilly provides a good errata resource, but every other code example in this book has either a missing semicolon that you have to hunt for (most common) or code that is completely wrong. Perhaps none of this has been mentioned due to the strong merits of the content -- but it appears nobody even did a quick review over the code in this book! If you are going to buy this to have on your desk for years to come, buy it on PDF now and wait for the second edition print for the errata corrections.
With that said, I'm not trying to troll on this great book. I want to give a heads up to people so they don't have to work part-time as a copy-editor.
Excellent way to become fluent in Javascript.
Review DateF2008-10-11 RatingF
Review DateF2008-10-11 RatingF
I decided to pick up this book because I had been using Javascript for years as a "garnish" on top of my web development, but usually only in the form of a few hacked-together utility functions and edited scripts. In truth, I was afraid of the language - it appeared to be a very inconsistent, buggy system that took arcane knowledge to master across browsers. After starting to work with a number of JS frameworks, I knew I needed to confront the language and learn it properly.
This book is possibly one of the best technical/programming related books I have had the pleasure of reading. It doesn't try to be a massive encyclopedic volume like most of my other technical books, so I didn't have to devote countless hours and days pushing through lengthy filler. Every section contains brief information about the most critical parts of Javascript you need to begin coding what you need right away in a tidy object-oriented fashion. If you have experience with any other C-based language and understand general OOP concepts, this book will make you fluent in Javascript with the least amount of time and effort on your part!
This book is possibly one of the best technical/programming related books I have had the pleasure of reading. It doesn't try to be a massive encyclopedic volume like most of my other technical books, so I didn't have to devote countless hours and days pushing through lengthy filler. Every section contains brief information about the most critical parts of Javascript you need to begin coding what you need right away in a tidy object-oriented fashion. If you have experience with any other C-based language and understand general OOP concepts, this book will make you fluent in Javascript with the least amount of time and effort on your part!
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