Reviews for Handcrafted CSS: More Bulletproof Web Design (Voices That Matter)

1. another great book

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

   This is a very useful CSS book it has a great selection of well though out techniques that are essential to web designers. The book is short and to the point therefore a quick read.

2. An excellent book for a working professional

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

   The problem I find with a lot of CSS books is they tend to cover the basics, and aren't much use to a working professional. This book however is an exception. It discusses CSS 3 techniques in some depth, and how they can be applied to real world projects today. I always say that if you get one great idea from a book then it's almost always worth the asking price. I got several from this book.
   
   Definitely gets a thumbs up from me!

3. excellent

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

   This is the second title that I own by Dan Cederholm. His books are a must for any web designer. Although the books will not teach you the basics of CSS or HTML, they will give you a full insight into the workings of a professional websites. This book is a must, the only down side to this book is that it is only 220 pages, I would love it to be twice the size.

4. Extremely useful - again

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

   The underlying theme of Dan Cederholm's books is that craftmanship is the essence of good web design. The web craftsman seeks to ensure that each element of a design is built using robust code that will adapt to the requirements of different browsers and user display settings. Every aspect of the interface, no matter how small, deserves the designer's full attention and respect.
   
   This concept is made explicit in 'Handcrafted CSS'. Through the book Dan quietly unfolds the most persuasive case I've yet read that web designers should be using CSS3 now to enhance designs for those browsers that can support it. He shows how to use incredibly useful CSS3 tools such as border-radius, rgba and transition effects without damaging the user experience of those with older browsers. There's also a very useful discussion of the merits of using the 'clearfix' method to clear floats: Dan supports it, but with some significant caveats.
   
   As with his previous books Dan focuses on the design techniques that designers actually use, day-in-day out. Five years or so after their first publication his earlier books 'Web Design Solutions' and 'Bulletproof CSS' are still by my desk. 'Handcrafted CSS' is more of the same, and highly recommended.
   
   As a bonus the book includes a fine chapter by Ethan Marcotte discussing fluid grid designs. If time or opportunity allowed a full book by Mr Marcotte would be most welcome!