Amazon Review: In the most recent edition of this acclaimed HTML guide, Musciano and Kennedy look closely at every aspect of HTML and show how to use it wisely to create top-quality Web pages. The book is up-to-date, covering HTML 4, Netscape Navigator 4, Microsoft Internet Explorer 4, and the various extensions of each.
 
HTML: The Definitive Guide is aimed at beginners as well as those who have more practice in Web-page creation. The authors assume at least a basic knowledge of computers, including how to use a word processor or text editor and how to deal with files. They teach you that learning HTML is like learning any other language and that reading a book of rules can only take you so far. Readers begin writing what may be their first Web page just two pages into the book's second chapter. From there on, they provide a wide range of HTML coding to allow readers to learn from good examples. The book includes a handy "cheat sheet" of HTML codes for quick reference. --Elizabeth Lewis

Amazon Review: Part of the Teach Yourself series, this book puts all of the foundational knowledge you need to build Web sites into one large volume, along with a solid explanation of the code and design principles involved. Experienced author Laura Lemay packs a tremendous amount of instruction into this massive title.
 
The first week of instruction covers the basics of the Web; introduces HTML; and presents simple text formatting, links, and image display. Since this book focuses on product-independent HTML 4 coding rather than instruction on a particular Web-design application, the skills you acquire will be applicable in any tool. In the next seven days of instruction, the author teaches you about style sheets, frames, tables, and the use of multimedia elements. Throughout these discussions, she presents each topic in the context of real-world application and page design.
 
In the final week, Lemay takes you beyond the basics and into the world of Java, Common Gateway Interface (CGI) scripting, and dynamic HTML (DHTML), including discussions of the differences between Netscape and Microsoft implementations. She finishes the book off with several chapters on effective design, site publishing and promotion, and server administration. A companion CD-ROM includes demo and trial versions of tons of authoring tools and clip media. --Stephen W. Plain

Amazon Review: Creating Web pages isn't just for nerds anymore--far from it. You can't get far in any hobby without participating in its Web community; even the smallest businesses need good-looking, functional Web sites. Those facts mean you must be able to do your own site-building work, and Creating Web Pages for Dummies exists to share the skills you need to learn. This book goes a long way toward explaining Web publishing to newcomers to the field. It is not, however, much of an introduction to Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) or any other site development language, and you'll soon find yourself wishing for more information on the low-level code that makes your pages look and act the way they do.
 
Instead of focusing on HTML, this book emphasizes Web services (such as America Online and GeoCities) that will help you publish your pages, as well as page-design software (such as Microsoft FrontPage Express and Netscape Composer). Coverage is generally too basic--the logic is that if you're thinking about publishing your own Web pages you don't need step-by-step instructions on how to enter body text into FrontPage Express. General advice is good, however, and prospective page creators can learn a thing or two about good page design from the authors' advice. --David Wall

Amazon Review: Whether you use a high-end authoring application like Dreamweaver, or in the most economical fashion you write your own code out in a text file, knowing your way around HTML comes in handy. HTML 4 for the World Wide Web: Visual QuickStart Guide will teach you what you need to know quickly.
 
The book covers the latest specifications of HTML 4 set by the World Wide Web Consortium, from the most basic tags that place text, images, and links on the page to more complex ones that set up tables, frames, or forms. New to this fourth edition, the book provides a chapter on debugging, including browser compatibility issues, expanded sections on cascading style sheets, JavaScript, and CGI scripts for use with forms.
 
As with all Visual QuickStart Guides, HTML 4 features clear and concise instructions side by side with well-captioned illustrations and screen shots that show both the source code and the resulting effect on the Web page. The index is extremely detailed, making this a good reference book for intermediate users who are already familiar with basic HTML but need help with specific topics.
 
The book also includes extensive and useful appendices. One offers a chart that describes each tag (along with its compatibility with Netscape Navigator and/or Microsoft Internet Explorer.) Other appendices show the code for special symbols, hexadecimal equivalents for RGB colors, and a comparison chart for some of the HTML editors on the market. All in all, this is the perfect desktop reference for Web designers. --Angelynn Grant

Amazon Review: Hard core programmers would say that HTML is for dummies. Even so, for those of us who want to build and maintain our own Web sites, but cringe at the sight of anything resembling a programming language, HTML 4 for Dummies is the hand-holding guide to help us through those processes.
 
Because many HTML editors do all the site-building work for you, it's strange the authors chose to wait until appendix C in the back of the book to explain why you must know HTML. Still, their reasons for learning HTML are sound, and the advice they dispense is solid.
 
Beyond going through the ins and outs of HTML tags, the book does a fine job of explaining what design elements work and how to avoid common mistakes. The section on XHTML ensures that budding site builders have all the latest tools at their disposal.
 
Whether your goal is to build a simple, text-oriented Web site or one loaded with frames, graphics, and animation, HTML 4 for Dummies will put you on the right track. --John Frederick Moore

Amazon Review: The 10 Minute Guide to HTML, 2nd Ed. offers simple, practical help for busy people who need fast results. --

Amazon Review: Building Better Web Pages is both technically competent and well-written. You can read and enjoy this book away from your computer, or you can have it at your side as you work on your Web site. It offers both broadbrush design advice that you can think about at length and specific coding instructions that you can consult in a rush.
 
Author Rebecca Frances Rohan has organized her book according to the needs of small businesses. She explains how to create Web pages that impress the largest number of people while consuming the smallest investment of time and money for development. With her advice, any entrepreneur willing to learn how to design and program (and enjoy the process) can save a lot of money on consultants.
 
Though Building Better Web Pages isn't much of an HTML tutorial, you will find discussions and samples of HTML code on its pages. Rohan has chosen instead to cover the various elements (such as images, sounds, streaming video, and applets) that designers might want to incorporate into their Web sites with explanations of the aesthetic and technical details that pertain to each.
 
Along the way, the book recommends numerous shareware programs and evaluates software that simplifies a variety of tasks. Building Better Web Pages does tend to leave the reader wishing for a comprehensive HTML reference--you may want to have one on hand as you explore Rohan's design ideas. But don't let those small problems keep you away from this fine book. --David Wall