154 replies to this topic

[Rob]

Note: I posted this in another thread, but I thought it might be useful to everyone as a single post. It will be much easier to find that way.


I'm a big fan of learning through books, so I will share with you some of my recommended titles on web development.

I will update this list periodically.


Web design theory
The Priciples of Beautiful Web Design - This book will teach you all the basic theory of design, in relation to web design. You'll learn how to lay solid foundations to a website, that will allow you to create 'sound' designs, way before you even think about how it is going to look.

HTML
HTML 4 For The World Wide Web - This book was one of the first I bought on the subject, over 8 years ago now! It covered the basics of HTML, and after about a week I was confident at writing up, and understanding, my very own website from scratch. I'm not sure this book is being published any more, so you might need to find something similar.

CSS
I taught myself CSS from practice, tutorials and articles online, but I have, and highly recommend the following CSS reference book: The Ultimate CSS Reference

Javascript
Javascript - The Definitive Guide - The book on Javascript. It covers absolutely everything you could possibly want to know, and it is heavy to boot!

Javascript Phrasebook - Tiny book, packed full of snippets of code for various problems.

PHP/MySQL
PHP and MySQL for Dynamic Web Sites - This was my first book on PHP, and it lays the groundwork for you to create some simple scripts, using databases.

PHP & MySQL Bible - Extremely thick book, covers most of PHP. Is a great reference book.

PHP Cookbook - Packed to the brim with excellent and useful snippets of code, for common coding problems. I constantly find myself going back to this book for advice.

PHP Phrasebook - Tiny little book, full of snippets of code. It's a great thing to keep at arms reach.

MySQL Phrasebook - Same as above, but covering MySQL.

PHP 5 Objects, Patterns, and Practice - This is quite a complex and laborious read, but it will help you step into more advanced coding practices, such as Object Oriented Programming (OOP), and Patterns.

Web development practices
Pragmatic Version Control Using Subversion - This is a must if you want to get serious with web development. Version control is basically a history of everything you've done, which allows you to revert back to things you've done in the past, which in turn acts as a great backup tool. Think Apple Time Machine, but for text/programming files.


I could recommend a tonne more; my bookshelf actually fell off once because of the amount of web development books! What I've suggested here will be more than adequate for beginning, though.

Rob

[notbanksy]

Thanks for the list Rob - I love to have books too, and have just bought The Principles of Beautiful Web Design. I'll let you know what I think when it gets here...

Meantime, I can suggest a book to avoid:
How to do everything with php & mysql - should be called 'how to make a shopping cart or simple cms with php mysql, in a poorly explained fashion'
I did learn the basics of php using this book, but it was badly thought out IMO, and thank god I got it from the library instead of buying it.

Has anyone read Learn to Program by Chris Pine? The online tutorial is excellent, but haven't got round to buying the book yet.

[Rob]

I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy The Principles of Beautiful Web Design

Learn to Program is a Ruby book isn't it? I haven't got round to checking out Ruby properly yet.

[notbanksy]

Learn to Program is a Ruby book isn't it?

Yes it is. I haven't got around to learning it (properly) either, but it's a fantastic language from what I know of it. I've been meaning to get rails installed on my machine for some time now, but as I'm still learning the design side of things, I think I need to concentrate on one thing at a time:)

[Rob]

I've heard great things about it. I want to get my head fully wrapped around PHP before I move onto something else, though.

[Rask]

A book I'd suggest is Bulletproof Web Design by Dan Cederholm. Not a big package, but quality over quantity. The book takes situations that every designer can face during a normal design process, and explains what is usually done wrong, then takes the right route to create it in the correct manner.

A book by Dan Cederholm, showing web designers how to inject flexibility into their designs. Bulletproof Web Design contains several guidelines to help prepare compelling designs for worst-case scenarios, increasing user control and readability for varying text sizes and amounts of content.

[Rob]

That book is on my Amazon wishlist, I'll hopefully be buying it soon.

[Dan C]

Don't make me think by Steve Krug is an awesome usability book I'd recommend every web designer/developer reads.

[Rob]

I've heard great things about that one, it's also on my wishlist. Anyone want to buy it for me?

[ElanMan]

Can I just add; anything by Larry Ullman (for PHP/MySQL) and transcending css by Andy Clarke. Great books!

[Rob]

I've heard good things about both of those authors, I'm yet to buy one of their books, though. Both on the wishlist if anyone wants to treat me!

[Sam]

I've recently started reading the Beginning CSS Web Development: From Novice to Professional by simon collinson so far its pretty great actually . I'm yet to find a really nice php book for going straight from the beginning to more advanced stuff as I'd like to have the option to go back in my learning. As a reference the official php reference is great.

[Rob]

Oh, definitely. The PHP.net reference is second to none. Sometimes I just love being able to reach up for a book and find the info I need, though.

[Dan C]

I've heard great things about that one, it's also on my wishlist. Anyone want to buy it for me?

There's a copy on my desk at work if you want to pick it up.

[Thomas Thomassen]

The PHP 4.2 bible was very useful to me when I learned PHP. I got three books in the Bible series, I quite like them.

[Subhajit]

Thanks for sharing these books bro...

[terrorsreign]

Awesome

I'm very big into learning from books myself. Unfortunately I'm under a tight budget, in your opinion which book is the ultimate one to buy? My opinion is always that I can learn the basics of any computer language over the internet, so I only buy coding books if I want to totally master it.

Cari.

[SoholoWebDesign]

Don't make me think by Steve Krug is an awesome usability book I'd recommend every web designer/developer reads.

What a great enjoyable read it is . I'm just as far as the "using tabs" section so far . A really clear, well written and often funny book.
Borrowed from my local public library.

-

[LeeSalter]

I've found CSS - The Definitive Guide from Eric Meyer to be an excellent book.

[Jack]

Im looking to get the book Simply JavaScript, has anyone read this book before?

[project_lumino]

I recently bought 2 books to get me started: "Collins - How to create a Website" (£10.99) and the big "9-in-1 Web Design for Dummies" (£22.99)

The small collins book was great, it was small enough for me to carry and read on the train to work and everything was explained in an easy to understand step by step way. It didn't delve into too much detail but taught the basics of html & css. Also providing info on how to make the most of your site, visuals and content etc.

The huge 400+ pages of the Dummies book provides an awful lot of info, but it's hard to know where to start. It will be handy when I start to learn scripting as the smaller book doesn't touch on it and when I start studying it will make a great reference book.


So for price and beginners get the Collins book :-)

[Rob]

I've bought a bunch of new books over the last few weeks covering everything from advanced PHP to CSS and web standards. Expect some revisions and updates to the main list once I get a chance to read them all!

[Sussex_Chris]

Thanks Rob, have bookmarked all them pages

[JustinSmall]

I got most useful books deatils in this topics. and found popular web designs books. Thank You

[dreamcon]

Note: I posted this in another thread, but I thought it might be useful to everyone as a single post. It will be much easier to find that way.


I'm a big fan of learning through books, so I will share with you some of my recommended titles on web development.

I will update this list periodically.


Web design theory
The Priciples of Beautiful Web Design - This book will teach you all the basic theory of design, in relation to web design. You'll learn how to lay solid foundations to a website, that will allow you to create 'sound' designs, way before you even think about how it is going to look.

HTML
HTML 4 For The World Wide Web - This book was one of the first I bought on the subject, over 8 years ago now! It covered the basics of HTML, and after about a week I was confident at writing up, and understanding, my very own website from scratch. I'm not sure this book is being published any more, so you might need to find something similar.

CSS
I taught myself CSS from practice, tutorials and articles online, but I have, and highly recommend the following CSS reference book: The Ultimate CSS Reference

Javascript
Javascript - The Definitive Guide - The book on Javascript. It covers absolutely everything you could possibly want to know, and it is heavy to boot!

Javascript Phrasebook - Tiny book, packed full of snippets of code for various problems.

PHP/MySQL
PHP and MySQL for Dynamic Web Sites - This was my first book on PHP, and it lays the groundwork for you to create some simple scripts, using databases.

PHP & MySQL Bible - Extremely thick book, covers most of PHP. Is a great reference book.

PHP Cookbook - Packed to the brim with excellent and useful snippets of code, for common coding problems. I constantly find myself going back to this book for advice.

PHP Phrasebook - Tiny little book, full of snippets of code. It's a great thing to keep at arms reach.

MySQL Phrasebook - Same as above, but covering MySQL.

PHP 5 Objects, Patterns, and Practice - This is quite a complex and laborious read, but it will help you step into more advanced coding practices, such as Object Oriented Programming (OOP), and Patterns.

Web development practices
Pragmatic Version Control Using Subversion - This is a must if you want to get serious with web development. Version control is basically a history of everything you've done, which allows you to revert back to things you've done in the past, which in turn acts as a great backup tool. Think Apple Time Machine, but for text/programming files.


I could recommend a tonne more; my bookshelf actually fell off once because of the amount of web development books! What I've suggested here will be more than adequate for beginning, though.

Rob

Nice list of books.

[nancy123]

Hello,

Nice post about web deverlopment services & you give here nice list . Thanks for share your thoughts with us.

[jamest]

I found these 2 very good for PHP:

Build Your Own Database Driven Website Using PHP & MySQL - First PHP book I had read and taught me so much more than what I had read online.

The PHP Anthology: 101 Essential Tips, Tricks & Hacks - A perfect compliment to the first book. Delved into a lot more detail and very well written.

[Boyles Web Design]

I like transeding CSS

[ericadux]

I tend more towards interface and information design as well as usability. In terms of publishers of web design/development books I adore Sitepoint, Friends of Ed, New Riders, and O'Reilly. If I want to learn a new language, I grab an O'Reilly or Sitepoint book first. Friends of Ed and New Riders have some great gems too though.

These are the absolute must-haves on my shelf, in order of publisher.

The Principles of Beautiful Web Design - Jason Beaird - Sitepoint - This is just exactly as it says; the principles of beautiful web designs. It is enjoyable to read, beautiful to look at, and an excellent way to learn the process of designing lovely sites.

Simply JavaScript - Yank & Adams - Sitepoint - I love the friendly but thorough writing found in Sitepoint books, and that is certainly found here. Best for someone who is brand new to JavaScript, it provides a thorough grounding in JavaScript with great explanations and examples.

The Usability Kit - Gaffney & Szuc - Sitepoint - Excellent templates and patterns for ensuring usability is designed within the site. This is actually a binder with a section of information and a big set of templates. Especially useful if you want to make usability a priority without doing a ton of research into the subject yourself, or just want a quick reference of ideas.

Deliver First Class Web Sites - Kaiser - Sitepoint - This is a set of 101 "essential checklists" and a quick reference so you can quickly and easily keep an eye on keeping your web site "first class". Nothing new to learn here, just lists to keep things on track.

CSS Mastery - Advanced Web Standards Solutions - Budd, Moll, and Collison - Friends of Ed - This is where you go when you've learned CSS and want some advanced techniques.

The Zen of CSS Design - Shea & Holszshlag - New Riders - Gorgeous look at what CSS is capable of, using several of the designs from CSS Zen Garden to illustrate advanced web design & CSS techniques. This is the other book you need to grab if you've grown past the basics of CSS.

Bulletproof Ajax - Jeremy Keith - New Riders - This is rather introductory and I like the JavaScript overview as much as anything said about Ajax. If you have any other Ajax book and understand the principle of developing a site that is accessible even if JavaScript is turned off, you don't need this one. If you want a short introduction to JavaScript and Ajax though, this one is great.

Bulletproof Web Design - Cederholm - New Riders - The title and subtitle say it all; "Bulletproof Web Design - Improving flexibility and protecting against worst-case scenarios with XHTML and CSS". This is a third book for those who want to move from CSS reference to CSS mastery.

The Elements of User Experience - Garrett - New Riders - This is a slim volume that is excellent for those just starting to learn about information architecture, interaction and interface design, and user experience as a whole. Start here to learn and understand the basic elements and terms used within user-centered design for the web. If you want to go from developing code and slapping things together to truly understanding how to design a worthwhile experience for your users, read this short yet excellent book.

Mastering Dojo - Russell - O'Reilly - This is the definitive guide to the JavaScript framework known as Dojo. Thorough, complete, detailed, and yet enjoyable reading as well.

Information Architecture for the World Wide Web - Morville & Rosenfeld - O'Reilly - Covers IA in terms of business goals, education, ethics, and sales, as well as processes, tools, methodologies, systems, strategies, design, and more. Theory and practice in one neat text. Useful for technical communicators, designers of enterprise web sites, or anyone who wants to understand information and how to put it together more effectively.

Designing Interfaces - Tidwell - O'Reilly - Templates and patterns for all kinds of layouts, designs, visual styles, graphics, and navigation methods, along with thorough discussions. Full-colour, beautiful book for effective interaction design, would even be useful for the developer who wants quick ideas to design an interface without doing a ton of research. Plus I just love looking at it because it is such a gorgeous book.

Designing Web Navigation - Kalbach - O'Reilly - This one is as colourful, beautiful, and usable as the O'Reilly book directly above. Engaging reading, worthwhile to look at apart from all the information chocked inside as well. Another "full picture" type book, from an introduction to navigation on the web, through information seeking, browsing behaviour, mechanisms and types of navigation, labeling, evaluation, analysis, architecture, layout, presentation, search, social tagging, and rich web applications. I open it if only to look at the gorgeous typography and colours.

[Mathew Liles]

My favourite has to be CSS Zen Garden. Amazing how different a site can look by applying a different CSS style to a common template. Some of the designs are fantastic - especially like the grass one (can't remember the name of the design).

Just bought Transcending CSS looking forward to reading it.

[dreamcon]

Thank you so much for sharing this important web design related books with us.....i have had a look at them and i liked three books the most and would really recommend this books to all of you.

[jacksen]

I was recently inspired by Steven from VandelayDesign who has put together an excellent list of resources for web deigners. He includes image pickers, fonts, CSS layouts, dead link checkers, color pickers and many more - 77 resources to be exact. I hope to build on Steven’s list over the next 30 - 60 days. I am hoping that you will help and contribute to our list.
----------------------------
jacksen

buzz marketing

[GoffeyUK]

HTML 4 For The World Wide Web - This book was one of the first I bought on the subject, over 8 years ago now! It covered the basics of HTML, and after about a week I was confident at writing up, and understanding, my very own website from scratch. I'm not sure this book is being published any more, so you might need to find something similar.

Hey i was checking on play.com for this book, and i noticed that a newer version of this book has been released in 2006.
It can be found here. Anyways, i was just wondering if this book explains how to use Divs etc. am fed up of using tables in my websites and want something that is more flexable to work with, and heard divs are the way to go.

[~Daniel]

I'm with him ^

[Pottsy]

css mastery


html dog

css web development

all excellent books which will give you a solid grounding

[GoffeyUK]

I've ordered the book, i mentioned before. Was just wondering if anyone knows if it contains anything about Divs?, was reading the description on play.com but didn't mention it (everything but infact)

[Oaten]

Hi

I have this book and yes it does touch on it

[GoffeyUK]

touch on it?, so it only mentions it briefly, or does it show you how to use them etc

[adnanfazlani]

I m just adding something in the list it's called CSS anthology by SitePoint.com it tells you some basic feature which programmer are not working on

[aaron1uk]

thanks for the list, So many to choose from.

If you were to recommend one for CSS, one for XHTML and one book for general web design, Keeping in mind I am a beginner, which books would you recommend.