Sebastopol, CA--In the last few years, the world of web design has become increasingly sophisticated and complex, and for would-be web designers, almost chaotically rich with technologies that they need to choose among and understand. At the same time, web design is no longer unexplored territory, and there are plenty of educational resources available to anyone who wants to learn. Almost too many. The natural question for novices is, "Where do I start?" Bestselling author, designer, and teacher Jennifer Niederst provides the answer in her just-released second edition of Learning Web Design: A Beginner's Guide to HTML, Graphics, and Beyond (O'Reilly, US $39.95).
"With something as seemingly vast and fast-moving as the Web, it's not easy to know where to jump in," says Niederst. "But you have to start somewhere."
"Learning Web Design" starts from the very beginning--defining the Internet, the Web, browsers, and URLs. By the time readers have finished the book, they'll have a solid foundation in HTML, graphics, and design principles that they can immediately put to use creating effective web pages.
The second edition of this popular book contains all the information that has guided many a novice web designer to a level of expertise, but also includes expanded coverage of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and more hands-on activities and interactive content. Readers find the lessons sprinkled with new "Try It" assignments that encourage them to learn concepts step-by-step along the way. Short question and answer sessions at the end of each chapter provide another way for readers to check their knowledge.
"Learning Web Design" covers the nuts and bolts of basic HTML, with detailed examples that show how to format text, add graphic elements, make links, create tables and frames, and use color on the Web. The new edition has been updated to reflect current versions of popular web authoring software (Macromedia Dreamweaver, Adobe GoLive, and Microsoft FrontPage), HTML tags, and other timely information.
In writing the book, Niederst draws from her experience teaching hundreds of absolute beginners. "I found that as a teacher, I wished I had the perfect book to be the companion to my classes," she explains. "This book is the result of my experience of teaching and the knowledge I've gained of how people learn. Reading it is a lot like sitting in my classroom."
Although the scope of her book is wide, Niederst adds that nothing has been "dumbed down" or glossed over. The nuts and bolts of HTML and graphics production are treated with the kind of thorough attention to detail that you'd expect from an O'Reilly book.
Unlike other beginning books, the new edition "Learning Web Design" leaves no holes in a web designer's education. It covers everything they'll need to create basic web sites, and prepares the student for more advanced web work.
Praise for the previous edition:
"This great book will take you through HTML and all the elements of web design. It's a beginners' guide, but it's great for non-beginners as well. It covers many elements of web design, from HTML, to graphics, to layout."
--About Computers, March 18, 2003"If you want to read only one book, I recommend 'Learning Web Design' by Jennifer Niederst (O'Reilly, $34.95), which clearly lays out all you need to know in a very accessible way. "
--Lee Dembart, International Herald Tribune, March 25, 2002"The content in 'Learning Web Design' is excellent and its presentation is superb. By working though this book, you'll develop an impressive and varied skill set, including HTML, working with graphics and uploading the files to your web site. We'd heartily recommend it to any budding web designer--rating: 5 Stars."
--Internet Advisor, March 2002"From registering your domain name to cascading style sheets; with pointers at every section to help the user to find out more; this book should be in every casual web designer's library."
--Ping, the Newsletter for HP/Works, the HP Technical Computing User Group, March 2002"An outstanding tutorial that is equally useful for both Mac and Windows...for many users this will be the only text they will need; for those who want to go on to more advanced applications, it will provide a very good foundation for further learning."
--Major Kearny, PC Update, July 2001"This is one of the few books that you can hand to beginning web designers and be confidant they'll be on the right track...a great introduction for fledgling web designers."
--WebReference.com, June 11, 2001"'Learning Web Design' leaves no holes in your education. It gives you everything you need to create basic web sites, and will prepare you for more advanced web work. If you are interested in web design, this book is the place to start."
--Henry Lieberman, Interactions, June 2001
Additional Resources:
Learning Web Design, Second Edition
Jennifer Niederst
ISBN 0-596-00484-2, 454 pages, $39.95 US, $61.95 CA, 28.50 UK
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938; 1-707-827-7000
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