HTML5 & CSS3 For The Real World, written by Alexis Goldstein, Louis Lazaris and Estelle Weyl, is from Sitepoint (2011). This book takes on several topics that could fill an entire book individually, yet manages to serve each topic well. As you can tell from the title, the book talks about HTML5 and CSS3, but it also goes into complementary JavaScript/API topics like geolocation, offline web apps, web storage, Canvas, SVG, drag and drop.
Mobile Safari on iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad, Opera Mini and Opera Mobile, as well as the Android operating system’s web browser all provide strong levels of HTML5 and CSS3 support. New features and technologies supported by some of those browser include CSS3 colors and opacity, the Canvas API, Web Storage, SVG, CSS3 rounded corners, Offline Web Apps, and more.
The authors made a strong effort to be as up to date as one can possibly be in a hardcopy format. They mentioned very recent changes in HTML5. They knew what future versions of browsers were likely to support, and therefore, what vendor specific prefixes were no longer needed, or soon would not be needed.
The downloadable site adds valuable practical and hands-on experience with the examples in the book that many learners will appreciate. It gives you something concrete to grapple with in addition to the theoretical information behind what’s going on in a browser or other device. Since I tend to look at everything from an educator’s point of view, I think the downloadable files would be a real asset if this book was used to teach either HTML5 or CSS3 or both.
It’s a lot for one book, but it’s all handled well. Which makes this book a decent choice for someone who wants a single resource to guide them through the new technologies and tools that are available in and around HTML5 and CSS3. I wouldn’t recommend it for someone who didn’t already understand HTML and CSS, but it is certainly a valuable book for learning the latest information in those fields.
Summary: An all-inclusive resource for learning HTML5 and CSS3.
A review by Virginia DeBolt of HTML5 & CSS3 for the Real World (rating: 5 stars)
Great review. I have been thinking about diving in and reading this book. I think you’ve convinced me.
Thanks, Phillip. I hope you agree with my assessment after you’ve had a look inside.
Thanks for the review, I’ve been looking for a comprehensive guide to brushing up on these new web technologies 🙂
Regards
Dave