Foundation HTML5 with CSS3: A Modern Guide and Reference $34.99 / £27.49
Craig Cook (Author), Jason Garber (Author)
FRIENDS OF ED
ISBN-10: 1430238763
ISBN-13: 978-1430238768
This book is principally aimed at beginners. However, given the significant new features of HTML5, the authors also claim that it provides a useful reference for more experienced users. It is worth emphasising the word ‘reference’; this book is structured in such a way that the reader should be able to dip into it to find information on specific topics. The chapters, are, however, arranged such that it would be possible to study the book study as a sequential ‘course’ if that’s what you want.
There are ten chapters that cover subjects ranging from the basics of HTML and web browsing right up to the practical problems of creating and maintaining HTML5-based web sites. Along the way there are chapters devoted to specific features of HTML5 and CSS3 such as embedded media (graphics, video and audio) and creating interactive, form-based applications.
On the whole this book provides a pretty good guide to the essential features of HTML5. It also covers the basics of CSS3. However, it has almost nothing to say on JavaScript so if you want to learn how to program your web sites, this isn’t the book for you. It is also, I have to say, a bit on the dull side.
Hello! HTML5 & CSS3: A user-friendly reference guide $39.99 / £25.99
Rob Crowther
Manning Publications
ISBN-10: 1935182897
ISBN-13: 978-1935182894
“Dull” is not a word that springs to mind when describing this book. “Smart, snappy” and “fun” are three words that sprung to the mind of the writer of the jacket blurb. And, even though I can think of many things that are a good deal more fun than writing HTML5, I suppose this book just about lives up to the blurb-writer’s description.
One of the first thing you’ll notice when you open the book are the cartoons. There are small comic strips taken from the ‘User Friendly’ web comic. The various characters from that strip are also peppered around throughout the text. While these help to make the book look lighter and frothier than your average HTML book, the actual information content in the text is quite dense.
The book not only does a good job of covering HTML5 and CSS3 but it also does not shy away from programming using JavaScript. In my view, if you really want to understand how to use HTML5 there is no getting away from the fact that you are going to need to write JavaScript, so this is definitely a plus point in the book’s favour. The book aims to provide information for many types of users – from the beginner web developer to a more experienced user embarking upon the development of mobile apps. In order to meet the needs of these readers it even provides suggested ‘maps’ to show which chapters provide the appropriate information.
The first half of the book covers HTML5, beginning with a discussion of HTML5 markup, then moving onto forms, dynamic graphics, audio and video, browser-based APIs and Network and location APIs. The second half of the book concentrates on CSS3 including its layout capabilities, motion and colour, borders and backgrounds, text and fonts.
While no book on this subject can hope to satisfy the needs of every reader, this one does a pretty good job of describing the things that many existing web designers will need to know about HTML5. It also has some useful additional content in its appendixes to assist newcomers to understand how web pages, styles and scripts are used.
Pro HTML5 with Visual Studio 2012 $49.99 / £29.50
Mark Collins
APRESS
ISBN-10: 1430246383
ISBN-13: 978-1430246381
As a Visual Studio user, I was immediately attracted by this book’s title. After all, if I am going to develop a HTML5 site, I might as well do it in the IDE I know best.
It turns out, in fact, that this book doesn’t quite live up to its name. It isn’t aimed at explaining how to use Visual Studio as a general-purpose HTML5 editor. Its real focus is using Visual Studio to create ASP.NET web sites. Assuming that ASP.NET is your principal area of interest, this book dopes a pretty good job of explaining how to use HTML5 markup, CSS3 styling and JavaScript using Visual Studio 2012.
It covers topics such as using the ASP.NET MVC (Model-View-Controller) framework, creating Mobile Web applications, adding audio, video and vector graphics, using Indexed DB to store data on the client plus drag and drop, web sockets and geolocation.
The book takes you, step by step, from the basic features of HTML5, onto form-based development, then multimedia and finally more advanced features. If you are an ASP developer looking for HTML5 guidance, look no further. If you aren’t, then this isn’t the book for you.
Summary
There is no one book on HTML5 that can hope to satisfy all users. If you are an ASP developer, Pro HTML5 with Visual Studio 2012 might be a good choice. If you want a reference guide that incorporates some tutorials, Foundation HTML5 with CSS3 might be a better choice – unless, that is, you also want information of JavaScript. For me, though, the book that stands out from this trio is Hello! HTML5 & CSS3. This has a good mix of reference and tutorial material, it covers HTML5, CCS3 and JavaScript, it is nicely laid out (assuming you don’t object to a few gratuitous cartoons!) and it is clearly written. The other two books have already been tucked away on my shelves. I’m keeping this one on my desk!
In the UK, these books are available from Computer Manuals: http://www.computermanuals.co.uk/
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