Customer Rating: 
Summary: 5 stars from gobbysreviews
Comment: The title of Dennis Gaskill's book, _Web Site Design Made Easy_, says it all. He did his best to make it easy to grasp the concepts, and he succeeded. He wanted students and do-it-yourself web designers to understand how to create web pages using CSS and (X)HTML coding rather than relying on tables to position page elements on their web sites. The old style of using tables to control the visual appearance of web pages is now self-defeating.
Web designers ignoring CSS simply don't realize its importance. Whether they're coding for their own "Web Dreams" or for clients, designers dismissing CSS's significance do so at their own peril. Now that browsers embrace CSS more consistently, relying on tables rather than the somewhat more complicated CSS for (X)HTML layout is foolhardy.
Why?
Because of the magic word "Accessibility." A lot of folks don't realize that search engine robots (can you say, "Google"?) read (X)HTML code the same way assistive technologies do. Robots "read," they don't "see."
CSS allows you to create visually pleasing web pages which are optimized for search engines and assistive technologies. What more could you ask for? That's why CSS is a dream come true for Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
In addition, user agents (e.g., browsers, screen readers, handhelds, cell phones, etc.) can "read" your site more easily if you employ CSS and (X)HTML to create valid, well-formed (i.e., well-structured), accessible web sites for them.
More and more folks are interacting with the Internet without using a personal computer. They're using many different types of user agents. They won't, and sometimes can't, visit your site if your coding doesn't make them welcome.
Don't turn away traffic because you think CSS is too hard. It's not, Dennis made it easy. His books are used as classroom texts in high schools, colleges, and tech schools all over this country. He wrote _Web Site Design Made Easy_ specifically to TEACH students and do-it-yourself learners. He wants to help you help yourself succeed as a designer. And you can, with his help.
The Preface explains that nothing other than an understanding of how to use the Internet is expected of you. Dennis will show you, in easy steps, how to create a web site. "...This book mainly focuses on teaching HTML coding and formatting using CSS, utilizing both IBM Windows and Macintosh. Other areas are touched upon, but these basic skills will carry your student a long way toward their goal of website design...."
Contents:
Chapter 1: Introduction to the Internet and Web Design
Chapter 2: An Overview of HTML, XHTML, and CSS
Chapter 3: HTML Kick-start
Chapter 4: CSS Kick-start
Chapter 5: Text Formatting
Chapter 6: Applying Styles to Text Elements
Chapter 7: Applying Styles to Other Elements
Chapter 8: Color, Backgrounds, and Images
Chapter 9: Links and Multimedia
Chapter 10: Creating Lists
Chapter 11: Tables
Chapter 12: Frames
Chapter 13: Forms
Chapter 14: Creating an XHTML Document
Chapter 15: Good Design
Chapter 16: Publishing Your Web Site
Chapter 17: An Overview of Other Technologies
Chapter 18: Bonus Chapter
Appendix A: HTML and XHTML Charts
Appendix B: Cascading Style Sheets Charts
Appendix C: Color Charts
Appendix D: ASCII Character Chart
Appendix E: Troubleshooting
Glossary
Index
I've been visiting Dennis's BoogieJack web site since 1999. I enjoy his monthly low-key e-zine, Almost A Newsletter. I own two of his books, plus our library's Branch Manager bought two of his books for our library. So, yeah, I'm biased. But that doesn't change the fact that he's a great teacher who knows what he's teaching and makes it fun while he's doing it.
_Web Site Design Made Easy_ is definitely worth five stars from gobbysreviews. Buy a copy today and ENJOY!
gobby
Book Reviewer at Marathon Branch Library (Retired)
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great tutorial book
Comment: I bought this book as a text book for a college course that I was taking. Text books have a tendancy to be dry and boring, however, I found this book to be humorous. The lessons teach you step by step how to build a website. You can find inserts in the book that teach you advanced material based off of the basics that are given in the previous chapters.
There are references to the authors website in the book. The website is a great companion to the book, there is a lot of knowledge on his website as well.
Have fun programing!
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Great How-to Book
Comment: This is a great how-to book for web design. Easy to read with wonderful graphics. It takes you though the basics into advanced designs. It assumes that you are a novice, with all the details included. However, experienced web designers would benefit from this book if they have only used canned software. Gaskill's details will help you to customize your design. I actually started with his first book many years ago in my quest to designing a better web page.
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