HTML & XHTML: the definitive guide Chuck Musciano and Bill Kennedy O'Reilly ISBN: 0596527322 Non-Fiction, Computing, Internet Reviewed by John R. Clark

The curse of writing books on computing and the internet is that they run the risk of being outdated the day they are published. However, there are areas relating to the internet and computing that call for a good reference book or two. Web page development is just such an area. I and I am sure, others can and have tabbed from a how-to website to the page they were creating/updating and back again over and over in order to get something to work right and look good. While that works, it isn't nearly as productive as having a well-laid out book with explanations and clear examples at hand.

This book builds on the previous five editions and does so nicely.  I have consulted earlier editions when confounded or about to enter new territory as an amateur web designer. I have found them to be helpful and coherent. The 6th edition continues that trend. I like the layout, the plethora of examples and the detailed explanations of each html tag and what it can do. Perhaps the best aspect of the book is the range of users who can benefit from it. Absolute beginners will find plenty to learn from and experiment with, while seasoned web designers will find the book very handy to grab for quick reference and verification of things they are trying for the first time, or that just plain don't behave properly.

I will definitely add this to the library, but expect I'll check it out more often that any of the patrons as I experiment with things I have always wanted to try on both my personal web site and that of the Hartland Public Library.

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