Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: First Tech book EVER That I Read Cover To Cover!
Comment: I have been in the web development business for more than 10 years. I bought this book because I wanted to see where I stand in terms of the latest web development technologies and techniques, and to close any gaps in my skill-set.
This book turned out to be the first tech book EVER that I read cover to cover! What a fun read it was! The format in which the book is written, makes it a breeze to read. It might be more than 600 pages, but it's not like other 600-page books that are often a struggle to get through.
This book taught me a lot. I always simply used "HTML 4.01 transitional" because it seemed the easiest and is the most forgiving. Now I know more about the other specifications and why it is good to write "strict" HTML, or rather, XHTML. I now understand what XHTML and CSS are supposed to be used for in a web page. I think I used them the right way at least 80% of the time, but now that I understand the real role of each, I can do it right 100% of the time. I used to use tables for layout, but now understand the "box model" and using CSS for layout. I have learned a lot more about CSS and writing my styles in much more efficient ways.
If you are a web guru who has always kept up with the latest stuff, this book will be a waste for you. If you are someone who knows a lot about web development, but want to make sure you are current and possibly close some gaps, this book might be one of the best web dev books you'll ever read, and it will be a breeze. If you are just starting out, this book is a great place to start. It will take you a little longer to get though because you'll be doing all the exercises (if you want to do it right, anyway), but you will have a decent set of current skills by the time you get to the end. I highly recommend it!
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Get To the Point, Please
Comment: This book contains a lot of good information about using HTML and CSS to create functional, stylish web pages; the authors apparently know the subject matter very well. However, this manual "beats around the bush" far too much in trying to make the information "fun and entertaining." I did not buy this book to be entertained; I bought it to get educated. Many pages contain nothing more than empty whitespace and corny, useless depictions. This publication contains about 700 pages, but could easily be trimmed down to about 300 to 350 pages if the information was presented in a more direct and concise format. The Freemans should stop trying to be funny and entertaining because they are NOT good it. They should stick to teaching HTML and CSS because I think they would be very good at that - once they eliminate all of the useless drivel.
Customer Rating:
Summary: This one sold me on the Head First Style
Comment: Having been studying computer-related subjects since the 80's, I found the format of Head First books to be the easiest and fastest way to learn a new technology. Following this particular one on HTML, I was finally able to get my own, hand-coded website up and running.
I now own 3 or 4 of this series and would recommend them as a must buy if you are interested in learning the subject matter.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Head First HTML with CSS and XHTML
Comment: Brilliantly written. An entirely new way to learn a very dry subject. I actually look forward to my homework assignments. This clever approach works for me.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The best way to really learn the subjects
Comment: There are tons of positive reviews already written about this book, so I just thought I'd share a little about how I'm getting through the tutorials. First off, I think it helps to work through the book on a daily basis, rather than doing a few chapters and coming back to it weeks later. The concepts will be easier to follow complete the lessons one after another, and on a regular basis.
Next, sometimes it helps to read and underline several pages and then go to the computer to do the lessons. Some lessons are very easy to complete, but it's important that you try to understand as much as possible the code language itself. The authors do a very good job explaining why the markups work the way they do.
If you get stuck during a lesson, carefully check your typos, and make sure you have copied the lines of code as they are presented in the book. Even leaving out a semicolon in a line of HTML or CSS code can mess things up.
If you find that you really are stuck, visit the book's Lab site and download the solution for exercises in each chapter. Compare the solution to your own work. If you still can't find figure the problem, use the solution and move on. Chapter 8 and 10 gave me lots of problems. I went on the Lab site to look for answers. There's a discussion forum on the Lab site, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of traffic on it. But leave your questions there anyway, and they might be answered.
If you're very computer literate, you might also try a more advanced text editor than the one's they suggest in the book. I downloaded a copy of TextMate to help me complete the last three chapters of the book. TextMate has a steep learning curve, but it in the long run it can save you time when writing code manually.
Finally, I would suggest applying what you learn by creating a mini-website or group of pages. By doing this, you can review the lessons and apply them.
For those thinking about taking a college course in this subject, I would work through this book first. In fact, I bet it presents nearly everything you would learn in a introductory college course of HTML and CSS. The advantage of using this book is that you can learn at your own pace and not waste time in a classroom.
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