Cascading Style Sheets can turn humdrum websites into highly-functional, professional-looking destinations, but many designers merely treat CSS as window-dressing to spruce up their site's appearance. You can tap into the real power of this tool with CSS: The Missing Manual. This second edition combines crystal-clear explanations, real-world examples, and dozens of step-by-step tutorials to show you how to design sites with CSS that work consistently across browsers. Witty and entertaining, this second edition gives you up-to-the-minute pro techniques. You'll learn how to:

• Create HTML that's simpler, uses less code, is search-engine friendly, and works well with CSS

• Style text by changing fonts, colors, font sizes, and adding borders

• Turn simple HTML links into complex and attractive navigation bars -- complete with rollover effects

• Create effective photo galleries and special effects, including drop shadows

• Get up to speed on CSS 3 properties that work in the latest browser versions

• Build complex layouts using CSS, including multi-column designs

• Style web pages for printing

With CSS: The Missing Manual, Second Edition, you'll find all-new online tutorial pages, expanded CSS 3 coverage, and broad support for Firebox, Safari, and other major web browsers, including Internet Explorer 8. Learn how to use CSS effectively to build new websites, or refurbish old sites that are due for an upgrade.

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 117 Ratings

Get the hardcopy, not Kindle version - 2010-01-30
Reviewer Rating:
My review is of only the Kindle version of CSS: The Missing Manual. This book is an extremenly useful resource for learning and applying CSS. However, the book does not lend itself to the Kindle because of the numerous side-boxes and syntax of example code that get mangled on the Kindle. I bought the Kindle version, gave up trying to understand it, and ordered the paperback version. I wouldn't have spent the extra dough if I didn't think it is a great book, but it is just not suitable for the Kindle environment as are novels an other similar more linear texts. Wish I could get the money back that I spent on the Kindle version. I enjoy reading most books on my Kindle but will never again buy this type of book for it.

CSS: The Missing Manual 2nd Edition - 2010-02-06
Reviewer Rating:
Amazing text book, made my professional web authoring much better and much easier to maintain the pages built. Second edition is more useful than the 1st edition and the info is more current. Anyone who wants to use (and they should use) CSS needs to go through this book's tutorials. The tutorials are excellent.

covers all the bases - 2010-02-01
Reviewer Rating:
i bought this book for my wife and i'm sincerely impressed about the improvement she had with this book.

It covers all the basics and more, very recommended

Fantastic title for anyone who wants to understand CSS - 2010-01-22
Reviewer Rating:
And *understand* is the operative word here, because 'CSS The Missing Manual' explains the ins and outs of CSS to make sure you not only know what to do, but why you do it. Too many books sadly leave the important 'why' part out, luckily this isn't the case. I've built several websites in the early 00's using GoLive, using the old school hacks like transparent pixels and such. It's been years since I had to do any web development, I was too busy being a designer, but recent circumstances forced me back to web development. I started out using the old techniques I understood before until someone asked me if I was using CSS (which I wasn't) so I decided at that moment I needed to figure out what it even was. One month later and after reading this book, I'm practically an expert. Things have come so very far in the 8 years since I designed a large scale web project (hooray!). The book is really easy to comprehend, its explained so well, you do NOT have to be a programmer to understand it all. This book is likely not for casual users though, but if you are serious about understanding CSS and want to become proficient in it quickly, this the *THE* book to get, my highest recommendation.

Total beginner now knows CSS! - 2010-01-17
Reviewer Rating:
I was a total beginner regarding CSS. I made a few websites using GoLive, never using CSS, and never getting into any code, including html. But if you're making websites today, you need to use CSS (and basic html, which is also covered, and very easy to learn). So I bit the bullet and started reading this book from page 1, never moving on to a new section until I was sure I understood the basics of what he was covering. The thing is, McFarland explains it all very clearly. When I was done with the book, I knew the basics of CSS! That blew my mind. My friends think I'm a genius when I build web pages for them, but little do they know how simple it is in essence. I refer to this book on occasion. It really is a manual as nobody can read the book and memorize every aspect of CSS. But after reading it and gleaning the essence of it, it is easy to refer to the book and brush up on details. I very highly recommend this book. An understanding of CSS will never be handed to you on a silver platter, or by swallowing the blue pill. You must put your mind to the grind and this is the book to do it with.

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