So if you CSS Gurus ever wander out of the CSS Forum you may have seen my other threads: JavaScript Books Help and HTML / XHTML Books Help. I have my JavaScript books and I’m waiting for my HTML Mastery book to arrive. Now to complete my learning of Front-End Web Development I want to master CSS 2.1 And I’d like your help, please!
I’m not looking for beginner books on CSS because I wouldn’t call myself a beginner. I’d say I’m pretty fluent in CSS 2.1 - I can hand code a CSS 2.1 WC3 valid stylesheet in Microsoft Notepad but sometimes I’ll load up Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 to see what properties are available as I don’t know all of the properties off by heart, some I use more often then others but I’d like to master CSS 2.1 too.
I’m really looking for books that are going to help me refine my skills and knowledge on CSS 2.1 only, rather than generic books on HTML, CSS and JavaScript. I’m looking to buy no more than 5 books. I already own some CSS books but I guess I’m asking for your own list of CSS specific books that you’d recommend as the only book you need for mastering the language.
Below is a list of the books I currently own and below that list is a shortlist of books I’ve found on Amazon.co.uk that I think would be helpful to me, but I want your feedback please.
Books I Currently Own
- Build Your Own Web Site The Right Way Using HTML & CSS, 2nd Edition
- HTML Utopia: Designing Without Tables Using CSS, 2nd Edition
- The CSS Anthology: 101 Essential Tips, Tricks & Hacks, 3rd Edition
- The Art & Science Of CSS
- The Ultimate CSS Reference (PDF & Use the Website - Will be ordering the Printed Edition)
My Shortlist
- CSS: The Definitive Guide
- Handcrafted CSS: More Bulletproof Web Design
- The ZEN of CSS Design: Visual Enlightenment for the Web
- Transcending CSS: The Fine Art of Web Design
- Professional CSS: Cascading Style Sheets for Web Design
- CSS Cookbook
- CSS Mastery: Advanced Web Standards Solutions
I’m a bit iffy with some of the books because they’re a good few years old and we’ve had Internet Explorer 7 and 8 come out since they were published including other new Web browsers, so I’m really looking for the most up to date CSS books, preferably without CSS hacks and the like. I know they can’t please everyone but I couldn’t care less about IE6, I don’t support it so I’m not looking for the biggest and best CSS Hacks. Is there something missing from that shortlist that I absolutely must buy if I hope to be a CSS pro? Or is there a book or two that absolutely must go?!
Help is greatly appreciated here!
Andrew Cooper