[.ca] XML for the World Wide Web: Visual QuickStart Guide (ISBN 0201710986)

From Amazon.co.uk:
The Visual QuickStart Guide series from Peachpit Press is known for boiling topics down to the essentials and presenting them in an engaging, efficient way to get the reader up to speed quickly. In applying this model to XML, author Elizabeth Castro had her work cut out for her. Fortunately for her readers, Castro has successfully identified the core components of XML and presented them in a streamlined way. XML for the World Wide Web doesn't tackle any of the advanced elements of XML technology, such as SOAP, SAX or integration with the Document Object Model (DOM). Instead, it focuses on teaching the basic nuts and bolts of creating XML documents, styling them and defining their structure. This book moves at a fast pace. Document Type Definitions (DTD), for instance, get only 30 pages of coverage. This tight format is composed of simple examples that illustrate commands and concepts instead of pages of text. The pages are presented in a two-column format so that code fragments can be wisely placed alongside the step-by-step explanatory text. Each topic example is supplemented with one or more useful implementation tips. For a true grasp on XML and all of its potential, you will need to follow up this introductory tutorial with more reading on the applications of the technology and case studies. But this little book is a great way to learn the basics of XML in a weekend. --Stephen W. Plain Topics covered: XML documents Document Type Definitions (DTDs) Schemas Namespaces XSLT and XPath Cascading style sheets (CSS) XLink XPointer

Useful, but the first edition is very outdated:
This is a decent reference guide, but uncomfortably out of date. While the author keeps her site updated for latest changes, why buy a book when you need to read the most up to date info online anyway? The book is an excellent bargain, but a free online tutorial (on oreilly for example) is a much better deal. The best intro to XML book I've read is still Beginning XML (WROX--wait for the 3rd edition if you can, the 2nd edition is still more recent and more useful than the VQ guide).

You'll Get Your Money's Worth:
I love "Visual Quickstart Guide" books because I'm a visual person. They're pretty much the only books that I can use to teach myself computer stuff. "Read less - Learn more" I finished reading this book in two weeks (250 pages). It was definitely worth the money. It was my second attempt to teach myself XML after reading "XML Bible" (1015 pages....OUCH!). I liked this book much better because it explained XML with better examples. Unfortunately, it could've explained the concept of XML a lot better. I had a difficult time understanding when and why to use DTD, Schema and XSLT. It's probably because XML is still a developing technology so it may not be necessarily this book's fault. I loved the CSS section. It was a nice review of CSS. If you want to learn more about CSS, I recommend her book "HTML, XHTML & CSS" sixth edition by "Visual Quickstart Guide" (what else?).

Not as Good as Castro's HTML Book:
I had high hopes for this book, But I have come away disappointed. I used Castro's HTML book to learn that language, and I was favorably impressed. I found the examples in that book easy to walk through, and I felt they did a good job explaining basic concepts and procedures. I also liked the fact that Castro brought a designer's perspective to the subject. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for this book. I have spent the better part of a day on its chapter on XSLT, and I don't feel like I have gotten a handle on the subject. I feel about the same way about XML schemas. I think XML may simply be a subject that requires a programmer's, rather than a designer's perspective. The book could use a complete rewrite, particularly its walkthroughs, which I have had trouble following and making sense of. If you need to write style sheets, schemas, or anything else beyond the simplest XML, you are probably better served by another book.

Most useful:
The first reference book I reach for. Like most Peachpit books, this XML guide is low on fluff and high on useful, easy to understand info. It gives me principles and examples in very helpful ways. Each example is worth my time, because Castro thinks them out carefully and makes them useful on more than one level. XML continues to change, so I consider the publisher's website as part of the book. Their online updates are better than most.

A Roadmap to the Future of Web Pages:
XML, as is explained in the book, is not ready for web pages. However, web page developments are evolving toward XML. Elizabeth Castro explains what that future would look like. This book is for you if you are thinking ahead in your web page development; I found it to be very helpful in understanding how XML will fit into the future. Don't bother reading it if you don't know and don't care what style sheets are.