Book Review of:
Web Design 
in a Nutshell 

While this is the first book by Jennifer Niederst that I’ve read, it, like the other five O’Reilly books I own, is well written and very helpful.

What this book is not
Web Design in a Nutshell is not a tutorial. It doesn’t take you through all sections of a web page step-by-step from beginning to end. It does give examples of the various parts of a web page during the discussions of the various HTML tags however. Web Design in a Nutshell doesn’t discuss web design from the graphic designers or artists point-of-view. You won’t find the latest design trends here. In fact, it devotes a whole chapter to the differences between print and web design.

So, what is this book?
This books provides a grounding in writing good HTML that will allow your pages to be viewed by the most people using any browser or device. You will learn how to prepare pages for quick download and how to make them accessible to those with handicaps and to the international community.

Throughout the book the author provides pros and cons for each choice you make in designing your web page. She also provides many links to web resources with more information for the various areas.

While graphics attract people to your site, they don’t linger if your page takes too long to download. The author tells you how to design your pages to minimize download times. Since graphics are a major culprit in download time, she devotes six chapters to static graphics and three chapters to animated graphics and video. That’s one third of the chapters in the book.

What does the book cover?
The book contains six parts containing a preface, 27 chapters, 5 appendixes, a glossary and an index. 

• Part I, The Web Environment

contains 4 chapters covering Designing for a Variety of Browsers and Displays, Web Design Principles for Print Designers, and A Beginner's Guide to the Server.
 
• Part II, HTML

contains 9 chapters covering HTML Overview, Structural HTML Tags, Formatting Text, Creating Links, Adding Images and Other Page Elements, Tables, Frames, Forms, and Server Side Includes. In each chapter, the HTML tags are listed first with the browsers which support them and their usage. Each entry also includes selected attributes. Support is indicated for Netscape Navigator versions 2, 3, & 4, MS Internet Explorer versions 2, 3, 4 and 5, HTML 4, WebTV, and Opera3. After that is a discussion of the chapter topic from a general overview to specific guidelines for the use of the tags including examples.

Chapter 5 discusses the difference between HTML Editing and WYSIWYG Authoring Tools. Read this before purchasing a Web Page program such as MS’s Front Page. Chapter 5 also contains tips for good HTML style.

• Part III, Graphics

contains 4 chapters covering GIF Format, JPEG Format, PNG Format, and Designing Graphics with the Web Palette.

These chapters will help you include graphics on your pages while still maintaining a speedy download capability. They tell you when to use which format. They also help you with color selection so your viewers will see the colors you intend them to see. 
 

• Part IV, Multimedia and Interactivity

contains 5 chapters covering Animated GIFs, Audio on the Web, Video on the Web, Interactivity, and Introduction to JavaScript. 
 
• Part V, Emerging Technologies

contains chapters covering Cascading Style Sheets, Introduction to DHTML, Introduction to XML, Embedded Font Technology, and Internationalization.

• Part VI, Appendixes

contains the following lists:
1. HTML Tags and Elements

contains the master list of all the HTML tags that appear in the book in alphabetical order with the chapter and page numbers that describe them. In addition to the HTML 4.0 Specification tags, it includes those in current use and browser specific tags. It includes a complete listing of the attributes for each tag.
2. List of Attributes

contains an alphabetical listing of all the attributes in the HTML 4.0 Specification. It tells you which tag uses the attribute and whether it’s required or not. It also provides acceptable values and a description of the attributes use.
3. Deprecated Tags

contains a list of tags replaced by newer ones. You are discouraged from using these tags.
4. Proprietary Tags

contains a list of tags supported only by Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer.
5. CSS Compatibility

contains a guide to how well Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer support Cascading Style Sheets.

Bottom line
If you’re going to design web pages or just put up and maintain a home page, this book deserves a place on your bookshelf. If money is tight and you need a tutorial, borrow one from the San Antonio Public Library. They have several titles available in both the Adult and Children’s sections.

Vital statistics

Web Design in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference
by Jennifer Niederst. 
Publisher: O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.
Copyright: 1999. 
ISBN: 1-56592-515-7. 
Retail Cost: $24.95. 

O'Reilly & Associates, Inc., 101 Morris Street, Sebastopol, CA 95472-9902, 
From the web:

book:.
sample chapter

color samples:
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/wdnut/excerpt/web_palette.html>.
<http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/wdnut/excerpt/color_names.html>

Reader Level: Not given on the cover. The author states she wrote the book “based on the wish-lists of both professional and hobbyist web designers.” 
Availability: You can usually buy this book locally at Barnes & Noble, Borders, or BookStop.