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Web Site Design Made Easy, Third Edition

Written with my usual unusual sense of humor, this book is not dry like most teaching texts. With a minimum of technobabble and about 170 full color graphics, interspersed with unexpected punch lines, you will find learning really can be fun and easy. Don't let the humorous aspect fool you though, this is a serious teaching text used in colleges across the United States and other English speaking countries.

The first edition was very popular, needing 3 separate printings to keep up with demand. The second edition went into extra printings also. The new 3rd edition, which is a complete rewrite, is expected to be the most popular book of all! Learn HTML, XHTML, and CSS from the one guy that makes learning web design easy AND fun!

Unsolicited User Comment
Hi Mr. B! I'm an artist who has just done a website with my photographer husband and what an experience it was...is!! Took a class at Junior College to aquaint ourselves with the "new world" and the instructor recommended your book. It is wonderful, and as the instructor said . . . with this book you don't really even need me. He was right and we are so glad we found you!
- Marge Heilman

Book at a glance...

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
Core Attributes Chart
HTML and XHTML Elements, Attributes and Values chart
Deprecated and Obsolete Elements and Attributes Chart
Proprietary Elements and Attributes Chart
Element Compatibility and DTD Chart
Valueless Attribute Chart
DOCTYPE Declarations
Appendix B: Cascading Style Sheets
Background Color and Image Properties
Box Model Properties
Font and Text Properties
List Properties
Scrollbar and Cursor Properties
Table Properties
Aural Properties
Display Properties
Layout Properties
Outline Properties
Printing Properties
Pseudo-classes
Pseudo-elements
At-rules
Miscellaneous Items
CSS Units of Measurement
CSS Terms and Definitions
Appendix C: Color Charts
Browser-safe Colors
Named Colors
Grayscale Colors
RGB to Hexadecimal Conversion Chart
Appendix D: ASCII Character Chart
ASCII Character Chart
How to Access Extended Characters in Windows
How to Access Extended Characters in Mac OS X
Entering Extended Characters into an HTML Document
Appendix E: Troubleshooting
Web Server Error Code Chart
HTML Troubleshooting Chart
Glossary
Index

See the Full Table of Contents to see what a complete book this really is!

As you can see, in addition to the teaching chapters there is an extremely thorough set of reference charts that total 86 pages. What's more, the book is spiral bound so it lays flat on any page - this is extremely handy! It's everything you want in one handy place, and written in a style that is user friendly and fun, and of course, easy to understand.

Easy to Use? You Bet!

Chapter at a glance. With the Table of Contents, Index, and Chapter at a Glance, it's easy to find just what you're looking for, and the simple instructions make it easy to do what you want. But you don't have to take my word for it...
Book Review Excerpt

"I just read what I believe to be the best book on web design ever written. It was written by Dennis Gaskill (also know as Boogie Jack.) It is so easy, so much fun..."
All About Web Design Ezine


Part of the image map tutorial. There are lots of full color examples throughout the book, as shown in the graphic on the right that is part of the tutorial on making image maps. Colored graphics and code samples help make learning easier. Besides that, color is just more interesting! Why be bored just because you're learning?

Book Review Excerpt

"It is beautifully designed with great graphics and color schemes. I have read so many books that are all hype and offer no practical information, this is the exact opposite."
New Book Reviews

Great reference charts.

Packed with practical step-by-step instructions and handy color-coded reference charts as shown on the left, you simply can't go wrong. It's used as the teaching text in hundreds of high schools, tech schools, independent colleges and university systems here and abroad . . . as far away as Africa.

Why would so many instructors choose this book? Quite simply, the clarity and casual writing style makes their job easier—plus, the sprinkling of humor just makes learning more fun.

Text Excerpts

...from Chapter 7

7.3 Adding Padding

Sorry about the rhyme, but hey, rhymes happen and life goes on, so tough it out. Here's how to add padding to an HTML division element in an external style sheet:

    div {padding: 7px;}
Wow, that was easy. I can't believe I get paid to write this stuff. Anyway, with above style rule, any time we create a <div> element on our page there will be seven pixels of padding between the content within the division and the outer edges of the division.
...from Chapter 6

I'll bet you never would have guessed you had this much control, but using CSS also allows you to control the amount of space between the letters of words. In typography this is called kerning, in CSS it is called oatmeal ... I mean, letter-spacing. Here's how to code the space between letters:

       body {letter-spacing: 1px;}
In Figure 6.2 you can see what adding just one pixel of letter spacing does to the text. The font family and size used is the same in both paragraphs.
...from Chapter 17

When you place your cursor on a link, the URL of the link usually displays in the status bar of the browser. Using JavaScript you can change what is displayed in the status bar. Many people use this to disguise affiliate links, but you can put any message there. Example:


       <a href="http://www.somesite.com" 
       onMouseover="window.status='Visit Some Site Now'; 
       return true">Some Site</a>
That's a normal link, with a snippet of JavaScript added (shown in red). With a link like that, when someone places their mouse cursor on the link the status bar would display "Visit Some Site Now." Note that in the JavaScript code there is a set of double quotation marks, with the text message enclosed in single quotation marks. This is how it should be, otherwise enclosing the message in double quotation marks would be interpreted as more code rather than as a message within the code. That would break the script.
...from Chapter 16

The following ideas [for web site traffic generation] were intentionally focused on low-cost and free ideas to attract visitors to your web site. Most people reading this will be just starting out and probably working on a very limited budget. It was assumed anyone with money to burn on promotion would not be reading a do-it-yourself book. If you do have money to burn, you might want to consider hiring professional marketing services.

I've rated each method of promotion on a scale of 1 to 5 stars, with 3 stars being the best. Um ... just kidding, a 5-star rating is the best and a 1-star rating is the least effective, but that doesn't mean you should ignore it. On the other hand, don't think any of these traffic attracting methods means an instant influx of steady traffic. A continual stream of daily traffic is built a little at a time, but some methods do provide surges of traffic that can last from a day to several days.

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ISBN: 9780895827357
ISBN 13: 978-089582735-7
Copyright Year: 2008
Page number: 514 pages
Full color
List Price: $51.95
Spiral bound to lay flat!
Unsolicited User Comment
I just had to stop what I was doing and let you know what I thought about your book. I just received it yesterday and I haven't put it down. I have spent hundreds of dollars on books, editors, etc. but just couldn't figure it all out. Seems like the little steps were left out. They always assumed that you knew what to do in between the steps they left out.

After reading the first few pages of your book I knew this book was different. All the missing steps to understanding HTML were there. I am now building my web site and it WORKS! Best money I ever spent. Thank you,
Loren D. Hayes


Instructor Comment
I . . . was very impressed. I especially like the case problems and quizzes at the end of each chapter. Dennis has the ability to present material in a very logical and coherent manner. He makes what could be a very dry subject fun to teach, and I would expect, fun to learn!
Dr. Daniel Davidson
Miami University,
Oxford, OH
Instructor Comment
I teach web design and until now have been relying on material that I wrote to teach HTML coding. This is the first book on HTML code that I have found that actually covers the code in a logical, progressive manner.

Most books give you "fill-in-the-blanks" projects rather than teaching how to "build" a web page using HTML code. This book presents the material in an easy to follow, well-exampled format. The fact that it is spiral bound is also a plus in useability as well as workability.

This book is a MUST BUY! I highly recommend Web Site Design Made Easy - it's even better than what I had written (and mine is pretty good!)
Deby Stewart


Book Review
I don't have to guess when I follow his clear and easy to follow instructions. Dennis writes in a friendly, approachable style.

He offers down-to-earth practical advice on creating a quality, solid web site.

I like the nifty references in the back. He has a trouble-shooting section in the appendix that is excellent. For example, he tells how to fix that annoying blue tick that can occur after a link. The solution is simple but the blue tick drove me wild for months until I found out how to fix it.

The spiral bound design is excellent, too. It is wonderful to not have to prop the book open and weight it down with heavy objects so the pages will stay open while I'm trying some of the techniques.

Folks, buy this book. It's a keeper. I hope Dennis Gaskill writes more.
Rebecca Hippert


Book Review
Dennis Gaskill's book is fanstastic! I've read about a dozen books on web design and HTML, but always got bogged down in the details, or felt things seemed too hard to grasp. Dennis definitely has a gift for imparting technical information in a way that is both clear and interesting to read.
Barbara Brabec
Unsolicited User Comment
This is the best web design book I have found. It explains everything in simple terms. Everybody at Harrisburg Area Community College wants this book.
Gordon Price
Testimonial
A seasoned web pro in every respect. No one writes with the clarity, humor, and humanity of Dennis Gaskill. He can show you how to easily build a nifty web site - or how much a simple kindness means to the new kid on the block. When it comes to web design, integrity, and life on the web, one name stands out above the rest - Boogie Jack! Whatever he writes is a must-read!
jl scott
Director of iCop
See my fancy bottom! :)