Reviews for Beginning CSS Web Development: From Novice to Professional

1. The only CSS book you'll need

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, April 12th, 2010

   Having tried (and then abandoned) a couple of very dry CSS books, I finally found this excellent and surprisingly readable effort.
   
   The book is divided into chapters dealing with the main components of a web page (e.g. tables, headings, images, spacing, layout etc.) and shows how to manipulate and control each aspect through CSS. At the end of the book is a creative and fun case study that brings all you've learned together to build a site for a fictional band.
   
   A few points to bear in mind. (1) I don't think you will get much out of the book by passively reading it. You really do have to follow along and try the exercises to see how CSS affects a page. Better yet, have your own project that you can work on alongside. It's easy to suffer from information overload when learning CSS and the only way to make sure as much as possible sinks in is active learning. (2) The book is pre-CSS3. I don't think this makes the book any less useful. After all, you still need a good understanding of CSS. (3) The book makes a good job of creating cross-browser compliant CSS. However, unsurprisingly, IE6 is a complete mess when it comes to compliance. I for one have stopped designing for IE6 altogether. Why let the tail wag the dog? (A 10-year old tail at that). If you're still designing for IE6 - some of the CSS may render like a dog's dinner. Blame the browser, not the book.
   
   Good practice, clearly set out and made as fun as CSS can be. Recommended.

2. Want to learn CSS?

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, January 12th, 2010

   I think everything has been covered in the rest of the reviews so to keep it simple - get this book because this guy deserves all the money he makes off it!! Been reading it 8-10 hours a day everyday and it's fair to say while it's been hard work the writing style keeps it a pleasure to read, and he encourages you to check out other websites and hang round sites with good info which makes it much more interesting. It's simple, buy this book, read every single word from the cover to the ISBN number at the back of it and trust me you'll throw websites together!
   
   So good I almost want to keep it a secret :-)

3. Excellent introduction to good CSS/XHTML practice

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, November 12th, 2009

   An excellent book that stresses good, XHTML and CSS practice from the start. Very easy to read with examples available on line. I found that it was such a good read that the authors occasional advice to "go and have a cup of tea before moving on" was a very necessary reminder to take a break!
   
   

4. Re-starting with CSS

   Rated 4 out of 5 stars, May 12th, 2009

   The book is excellent.... I've been trying to get to grips with CSS for ages.... mainly using in-line styles. However, the latest version of Dromewaver doesn't let me use this method easily.... so it's back to the drawing board: and Simon Collinsons book has got me further in two days than any other book/tutorial I've tried.
   If you are trying to re-learn [or begin] with CSS... buy the book!!

5. Great book for apprentices and masters in CSS

   Rated 4 out of 5 stars, April 12th, 2009

   For those who are searching for a clean and intuitive knowledge in CSS technology, you certainly have in this book a great start.
   
   It has the power to explain and make you learn the bases of CSS and yet take you to a higher level in terms of producing great CSS websites.
   
   I sense you can take your creativity to another level. Learn a better CSS with Collison master ideas and tricks.