While a little miffed at Amazon because they highlighted this edition when the newer edition had been out for a while, I didn't discover that till partially through the book. Put together as most Missing Manuals, where the next chapter builds greatly on the preceding chapter, it also has information that is decades old.

HTML, the building block of the web, has been around along time, and the web is fifteen years and more now. Even at the time of the book, ten to twelve years in, rehashing the building blocks with too much detail is probably best left elsewhere, even if it is to be used as that step needed to create greater depth in the later chapters.

What is lacking in the resources is a book that blasts in its title, Web Site Design for the best of 2009! Wouldn't that be useful. Current tips and tricks and a way to design something that is meaningful for the times. We have HTML, and XHTML and CSS, discussed. A work around to use Forums by co-opting Google, which is the reason I looked into this resource, and then found another work-around in the notes. Blogs are covered, but the material is out of date, though a good introduction.

In the end that is what this book is. Not as good as many missing manuals because it is out of date. And not as good as many missing manuals because it does not dig deep where it should. Just a little better than average but more than enough to get you up and running with a website that has more than the canned goods your web hosting software wants you to use. ( )

http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/12/14/192518.php ( )