I was fairly new to CSS, having picked up a few intro books and dabbling a bit, so I was looking for a book that would help me move to the next level. Stylin' with CSS was a perfect choice. I was having trouble with browser incompatibilities, and the book explained some of the workarounds, which saved me a lot of effort. It also does a nice job of explaining the box model.

For me, the most useful section was the one on menu systems. I've used the drop-down menus in the Stylib in a number of website projects since reading the book, and it performs well. I like the fact that after following the text, I actually understand how it works, so I can modify it to fit my specific needs.

The writing style was easy to follow, and the explanations were very clear. I'd recommend the book to anyone who wants to go beyond the basics and learn some useful CSS techniques.

I agree with the other positive reviews posted here on Amazon. If you are new or have had a cursory intro to CSS you will not go wrong with this book. I cruised the book store shelves and was very happy to find Wyke-Smith. Why? - clear explanations on principles and workings, easy to read and follow, helpful pointers to others in the field, nice reference to have around. I'm already on another of his books.

This book is easy to read and the pages have color throughout. There is a companion web site where you can download all the code, which really adds to the usefulness of the book. It is rare for a reference book to be engaging reading, but whoever laid out the pages here visually complemented the depth of material perfectly. I guess the author and publisher know that, as this is already the second edition of the book. Along with the second edition of Dan Cederholm's Bulletproof Web Design and CSS Mastery by Andy Budd, this is a great way to learn the ins and outs of CSS. I give it 4 stars instead of 5 because I like books that build examples step by step, where this book gives the finished code all at once, then discusses notable parts of the markup.

I bought this book sometime last month and I agree with one of the reviews that this is the first book I should have bought on Cascading Style Sheets.I have four other titles on the same subject and I have learned much from all of them, but this Author has a unique way of imparting the knowledge,even to a novice.This book does not read like a mantra,he gives you the code,applies it and "BOOM" you see the result. However,One bone I picked with the Author was on the issue of Opera browser.Though I use Firefox.IE 6 & 7,Safari and other less know browsers,Opera is my primary browser.On pages 82 and 83 where he discussed Font-Weight Property and the result of his experiment with different browsers,Opera was conspicuously missing, and I could not open the books website with Opera browser.The Author was kind enough to reply to my e-mail and allay my fears, because he assured me that he is looking into the Opera issue. In my opinion there is something in this book for every level,especially for beginners. Did I mention the excellent organization of the topics and the superb teaching method. This is one of the best.
emesobena

I have read various books on CSS and this is by far my favorite. I feel that the author provided in-depth details on why, where and how CSS is used. I highly recommend this book and I am looking forward to purchasing the author's other book Codin' for the Web.

I bought this as a textbook for my web design class. I already know a lot about CSS, and so far I've only read the first chapter, but it seems extremely easy to understand. Each concept is explained (in plain English!) and technical terms are defined clearly. And when sample code is supplied, you've already read about each part of it and know WHY it's there. I recently bought a book from a different author and publisher on ActionScript 3.0, and its so abstract, I don't think I know much more about AS than I did at the beginning. Stylin' with CSS, on the other hand, has defined even the basics (that I already mostly knew) so well that I've learned a few things already. I was so impressed that I ordered Charles Wyke-Smith's other book, Codin' for the Web, right away. I haven't gotten the chance to read it yet, but I already know I'm going to learn quite a few things from it.

The explanations in this book leave very little to the imagination. In other words they are clear & concise & the author makes no assumptions about previous knowledge. I had read Elizabeth Castro's "XHTML & CSS" then Andy Budd's "CSS Mastery" & although they both gave me a good understanding of what can be done they failed to truly explain how to use markup & styling like this guy does. I like the fact that he doesn't seem like he's full of himself either. It really does take more than one book & a lot of hands on to get good at this stuff & I'd recommend this book as either the starting point for a beginner or to round off the edges of an intermediate designer.

One of the better CSS books I've picked up. I'm a long-time Html-er who erm...hasn't kept up with the times. I tried a few times to start using CSS/Style sheets, but frankly wasn't really picking it up and it seemed more work than it was worth. Of course now that I found a book that laid it all out clearly without bogging it down with too-much-info and kept it interesting I can definitely see that it's well worth the time to update my coding.

The examples are simple enough to follow, but interesting enough to *want* to follow. There are some goodies in the downloadable files that are invaluable (like the niftycorners). Well worth the purchase.

Most CSS tool books cater to the professional. While this book could teach many professionals a thing or two, it is an outstanding handbook for the amateur web builder, no matter how complex a website you imagine.

It helps you generate a clean, and changeable design in the simplest and most straightforward way possible. Good examples and good illustrations.

Clear and easy to understand, thorough in it's coverage. I read it twice and it really helped me more than any other CSS book or tutorial.

An absolutely brilliant book.

I would strongly recommend it to anyone struggling with CSS, not quite grasped it yet, or who's just completely new to building their own websites.

Very well illustrated, commented, and some great take-away resources such as style libraries etc.

Brilliant! :) You'll be coding your own XHTML and CSS in just a few days with this book.

Charles Wyke-Smith definitely has away with disarming technical issues and instilling you with a desire and determination to accomplish your coding goals. This book explain CSS in a straight forward and easy to understand way and this book will continue to serve you well as a handy reference.

Stylin' with CSS: A Designer's Guide (2nd Edition) (Voices That Matter)RE: Wyke-Smith's CSS Book: I've come to appreciate this book so much that I don't know where to begin in recommending it. I had read (studied) several books on how to mark up and style web pages, but not until I began reading this one did lingering questions finally get answered at the very outset. For Example, Chapter 2 "How CSS Works" masterfully gives you such insight into concepts like inheritance, the cascade, sequences, precedence, specificity, etc. that it inspires new-found confidence you can implement web design with precision. The author rightfully states "Truly understanding just a few techniques can turn a struggling newbie into a competent CSS journeyman." (THESE INSIGHTS ARE A GREAT TROUBLESHOOTING AID.) He teaches you how to exploit the latest W3C Standards so you can produce sleek and powerful styling. In 300 pages he describes, and abundantly illustrates in color, a wide range of the latest techniques helpful to experts as well as to beginners.(Read back cover for range of topics.) I found it hard to put this book down, and carried it everywhere. Once, I spilled coffee on it in a restaurant, but the paper quality is so good a few hours exposure to the sun restored it like new. Try comparing this book with others and you will see why I recommend it enthusiastically.

Stylin' with CSS: A Designer's Guide (2nd Edition) (Voices That Matter)RE: Wyke-Smith's CSS Book: I've come to appreciate this book so much that I don't know where to begin in recommending it. I had read (studied) several books on how to mark up and style web pages, but not until I began reading this one did lingering questions finally get answered at the very outset. For Example, Chapter 2 "How CSS Works" masterfully gives you such insight into concepts like inheritance, the cascade, sequences, precedence, specificity, etc. that it inspires new-found confidence you can implement web design with precision. The author rightfully states "Truly understanding just a few techniques can turn a struggling newbie into a competent CSS journeyman." He teaches you how to exploit the latest W3C Standards so you can produce sleek and powerful styling. In 300 pages he describes, and abundantly illustrates in color, a wide range of the latest techniques helpful to experts as well as to beginners.(Read back cover for range of topics.) I found it hard to put this book down, and carried it everywhere. Once, I spilled coffee on it in a restaurant, but the paper quality is so good a few hours exposure to the sun restored it like new. Try comparing this book with others and you will see why I recommend it enthusiastically.

I looked at this book over at B&N and it got me hooked. Especially the chapter on how to do some basic page layout. I could not believe how simple it could be! The author really got me very interested and that eventually led to me buying this book. I'm glad I did. :-)

If you're a Java developer like me or a CSS beginner, this is a great book to get you started. It's really easy to read. Complex concepts are explained in an easy to understand fashion. And the author follows and breeds best practices. These and many others, make this book excellent.

The book is broken in 7 chapters.

The 1st chapter explains the basics of HTML, the different standards and how the page is structured. Simple chapter, but it's important to understand the basics.

The 2nd chapter, How CSS Works, is really a CSS 101. Basic stuff as well, but as in the first chapter, this is a fundamental knowledge.

Chapter 3 is more of a reference guide on how to style fonts and text. Some very useful info.

Chapter 4 is where the interesting stuff starts: positioning elements. An excellent overview of the box model and some good information about floating and clearing.

Chapter 5 is the best chapter in the book. It goes over several ways to create page layouts. Want to create a 2-column layout? A simple example is shown. How about a 3-column layout? 3-column liquid layout? With the techniques presented by Charles, you can create any type of a layout and you will actually understand what's going on. Really neat stuff.

In chapter 6, focus is on styling tables, forms, and menus. The author basically presents some techniques on how to style tables for tabular data, and explains the technique on how to create CSS menus. Good chapter to dive in when you're involved with these.

Chapter 7 summarizes the overall process of building a real site.

I learned several new techniques and tips from this book. I love how the book makes complicated things simple: this is my type of a book. Also, Charles has a good way of making sure these things come across and stay in your head. Not a simple thing to do, but he did a great job.

What a great book and easy read. The author assumes nothing and explains everything. I am more of an audio learner and reading this book was like having someone talk to me.

I read it cover to cover, taking notes and highlighting items to come back to when I'm at the screen working on my site. It's doubtful that I have ever before read a technical book so quickly (if ever in entirety).

As the title of my review states, this book provides - with its conversational tone and very clear writing - a delightful nuts-and-bolts take on important aspects of CSS coding. It really feels as if the author is at your side, even anticipating your questions along the way.

It helps if the reader has read at least one primer on (X)HTML and CSS before starting this book. A mark-up/presentation language newbie can certainly benefit from this book. But with an introductory text behind him or her, the reader can really appreciate the best-practice advice Charles Wyke-Smith has on offer here.

Can't wait to read the author's "Codin'" book.

I love this book! It is easy to follow, the examples are simple yet thorough, and I "walked away" with the best understanding of CSS I've had (this is book 3). To that, as a bonus, this book is less than a third the size of the other two I've read. Even the page layout is superb. There is plenty of margin area for our notes, something I fill books with. Full color, good kerning and leading, I could go on. This is a great book. I just bought "Codin" and I am "chopping at the bit" to start it. Thank you Charles.

This book is a must have for any beginning to intermediate wanna-be web builders. It provides an excellent introduction to both CSS as well as XHTML using a light-hearted, almost nonchalant, approach. The author begins with the bare basics and builds on these basics with each successive chapter using examples as he goes. I found that there were a few small errors in code provided in the text, but the author very plainly states that the reader should download his code from the book's website and use that code for any examples. He makes any necessary updates to code provided in the book on his web site.

After finishing this great tutorial, I began applying what I had learned to a web site I built a couple of year ago and was in need of a good update. I used much of what I had learned and found a couple of problems in implementing some of the code from his drop-down menu lessons using nested ul (unordered list) tags. However, I went to the books web site and found a form on the `Contact Us' link. I described the problem and within a couple of days the author emailed me with the resolution.

Try it! You'll like it!

I really like the book. It is simple and easy to understand. It is small so you can finish it, unlike most of coding books that are huge and imposible to finish

If you are learning from "scratch" to do your own simple website, this is the book for you - it lets you create what you want, explains how you can create the look you want to achieve, and allows you to finish the site with the graphics to make it pop! As a graphic designer, my area is print material, not web, but this allowed me to create my own web page for people to view my work and I'm currently working on another link to my web page for the sale or printed material - thanks Charles for making my life easier!

I read many many books on this topic. This book is the only one that seems to be written by someone who actually builds websites with CSS. Not only are there plenty of actual real world examples, but the author addresses the problems that you immediately run into when you start to apply CSS to your designs. Everything from the "clearfix" to the IE6 idiosynchrosis that plague CSS web design. Sylin' with CSS is easily my first recommendation for people learning CSS.

I just got my copy of Edition 2 and I haven't been able to put it down. This is one of the very best resources I've ever encountered for Web professionals. His descriptions are incredibly clear and accessible, and the information he provides is practical and useful. Thanks to Charles, I've learned to embrace CSS.

As a developer of web applications for 8 years, I have focused on the behind the scenes function primarily. Once I started paying more attention to the "experience" of the user and not just the functionality, I realized how much CSS really brought to the table as a design and implementation tool.

I've owned Charles' book for about a year now. This book has been both a great reference book for getting things done in the browser with CSS as well as a solid discussion of how best to use CSS and HTML for maximum effect.

I highly recommend this book if you are just starting out with web site design and creation. I also highly recommend it if you have already been working on web sites and need a good reference for CSS and tips/techniques about design and implementation.

Charles Wyke-Smith has written a very clear CSS book. I thought it might be too elementary. No way! It helped me right from the first chapter, and I've been coding in CSS for 5 years. I'm so glad to have this new tool.

A person can drown in the sheer volume of CSS information available in print and on the web. In my quest to learn the ins and outs of CSS, I found plenty of primers, tutorials, how-to articles and resource sites. I did not find a unifying document that would allow me to assemble all of that information into the knowledge needed to use CSS effectively until I found this book. The author has done a fine job of bringing the underlying tenets of CSS and XHTML together in a way that makes all the other sources make perfect sense. He also writes in a way that shows he is smart and writing to smart people. It may not be perfect, but it is extremely useful, even indispensable. As the 2d edition will be available November 13, this edition is probably best checked from the library. But if you are new to CSS, this book is must-read material.

Great seller book arrived as fast as amazon 2 day shipping. The book itself was in excellent condition, I will buy something from this seller in the future.