Softcover

ISBN 10: 0789722569 ISBN 13: 9780789722560

Publisher: ALPHA, 1999

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Creating an HTML Web Page, Fourth Edition, provides you with the tools you need to create and customize your Web pages. A careful, step-by-step approach enables you to build and publish your first Web page. With the basics in place, you are slowly introduced to more advanced concepts such as tables, forms, frames, and style sheets. Many examples illustrate each new concept, and you are encouraged to use and build upon these examples. Many new Web page concepts are covered, including XML, style sheets and JavaScript programs.

Review:

"An excellent reference for anyone who wants to create a Web page."

One of the charms of the Web is that just about anyone can (and does) create a Web page. "It's cinchy," they tell you. And they're right. But it always helps to have a book handy to help you with some of the not-so-cinchy parts. And it amazes me how many Web design or publishing books just don't get it. Fortunately, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Creating a Web Page isn't one of those books. Despite its long name (which I refuse to type again), the book is very good.

Paul does a fair job of covering the subject in a friendly, engaging tone. Yes, this book has life to it. It has personality. The humor isn't forced or condescending. Paul covers a lot of ground quickly and I had to remind myself that Idiot's Guides, like Dummies books, are references. So, where I thought some things were skipped over quickly, the truth is that as a reference the book works well. (True beginners who need handholding and tutorials should turn elsewhere.)

The book's scope is vast. It goes into style sheets, JavaScript, and certain advanced options that help round out the Web page experience. It also covers my hot-button issue of FTP. Without FTP, you just can't publish your Web page on the Internet, and I'm embarrassed for the many book authors who don't include such vital information in their Web publishing books. Fortunately, it's covered here, and covered well.

I suppose I could gripe that the book doesn't cover XML, an advanced topic for Web page creation, and one that I've yet to see a decent book on, anyway. That's a minor quibble, though; as far as I'm concerned, XML is just a Microsoft conspiracy to yank Web page creation out of the hands of you and me, the mere mortals of the Internet. No, for basic Web page creation and publication, you really can't beat this book. --Dan Gookin

From the Publisher:

The friendly, market-proven approach of The Complete Idiot's Guides combines solid instructions with a light-hearted style of wit and humor. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Creating an HTML Web Page will provide users with the tools they need to create and customize their web page. This edition will cover HTML version 4.0 which includes HTML tags for Netscape Communicator 4 and the upcoming release of Internet Explorer 4.

The Upcoming new releases of Internet Explorer 4 and Netscape Communicator 4 will make it even easier for users to create their own Web pages, enabling casual users to create their own presence on the Internet and WWW

The second edition of the title has almost outsold the first edition (app. 19,000 net domestic units) in less than five months

The Book will include a CD-ROM that will be a "WebMaster's Tool Kit" containing everything the reader will need to create, publish, customize and manage their web page