Markup Languages Books

This book had tips and information I needed to build my 1st framed site that were nowhere else to be found, even in much more expensive and 'expert' books. I highly recommend it.

This book is my most used reference book on web design. I would recommend it to anyone who wanted to create a better, more interesting, web site. Jason deals with design and includes lots of things that could and should be avoided. For those who are tired of learning how to say 'Hi!' in C, C++, VB, Perl, ad.infinum, and want to accomplish something while they are learning, this book is a blessing.

I found this book cleanly and clearly explains how to integrate frames into web design. Examples and illustrations reenforce how to do things. I've looked at it more than a few times to check things when I am working.

Neither a reference, a guide, a tutorial, nor a workbook. Toss out the glossy color images, reduce the oversized font, sift it down to the actual useful information, and this book could be printed on two pages. If the author indeed asked himself why an entire book should be devoted to HTML: Frames, perhaps he could have spared us all his answer and just produced a pamphlet. The sophomoric quasi-historical segment at the beginning of the book was perhaps added merely to meet some minimal weight requirement. Ziff-Davis Press sinks to new lows. One wonders at the propriety of using this as a required text in a web based course offered by... Ziff-Davis! This is one you will definitely want to throw away. Spend your money on a decent text, one which you'll be glad to hang on to and use as a reference.

I brough this book on a whim (thanks Amazon). After designing several websites I've been wanting to design a framed site for the longest but have been very skeptical about it (browser issues) - until reading this book. This book is definitely for the beginner to the intermediate programmer/designer. The best part about the book is that it's not written from a "expert" point of view. I did find some of step by step lessons a bit sketchy but overall it's a descent book to get you up to speed on frames.

Just like my review title says, I really liked the format of this book. The material is presented in a very easy to use, easy to learn format. Well presented step-by-step way to create a website. The only problem is that the book is based on an older, less used, technology called "frames". Most websites of today are not designed using frames. For this reason I would strongly recommend looking for a similar book that doesn't build a site based on frames.

The editing on this book is so poor that I was constantly rechecking instructions on how to proceed. When I tried to email the publisher and/or author I got no response. I was finally helped by a techie who had sympathy for my plight and got me through the rough spots. If the editing had been better I think I could recommend this book. As it is I cannot and will not!

As someone who writes a little HTML now and then, I've accumulated several books on HTML going back to Version 3.2.

This is the best one yet, because it takes you one step at a time through each facet of HTML, letting you understand the various tags and attributes by having you use all of them in a logical progression until you have created a complete site.

I'm using the book basically as a review, while learning to write using XHTML, using CSS to describe all the formatting--which is not the way I learned the first time.

The lessons are fun, and easy to follow. I would have given it 5 stars, if there were not a few mistakes here and there that should have been caught in the editing process.

You know how to tell is a book is a good learning tool? Take the book and give it to someone with little or no experience in the subject matter, have them read and try the material and exercise and see if they understand what they are doing. That's exactly what I did with this book, I had a couple of people with little web design experience try random exercises and they were able to design and comprehend the material.

I spent several hours working with the files on the cd and the labs, and when I finished I was well on the way to creating websites. The book uses Notepad as the editor and while this works very well, I used HTML Notepad as my editor and it worked as well. In future release the author may want to include that in the cd.

Everything is included from basic tags to frames and forms. You be working with Style sheets to image maps and logos and just about everything in between. This is one of the best classroom books I have ever seen or worked with and in future HTML Class I teach this is going too considered as the book of choice.

The cd included has other utilizes for web design as well as all the files need to perform the labs. If you are serious about starting a career in Web Design, than take some time to check out this book.

Overall this is simply of the best books for HTML and I highly recommend it.

I had never worked with HTML before, but wanted to put up my own Web site without buying expensive software like Dreamweaver or FrontPage. This book actually made HTML coding fun. The book and accompanying CD included everything I needed to create a professional-looking site on the cheap. Full color throughout is a nice touch too.

I'm a big fan of Barry Burd's books. This is the third book I've read from him. I bought it in 2008 and it was written several years earlier. This makes some of the material dated, but throughout most of the book, the examples compile fine. Before this book, I knew nothing about XML but knew how to program in Java. And by the time I was about a third of the way through the book, I had one of my Java programs pulling in an XML feed and displaying the results. I would recommend this book after you read Barry's Java for Dummies.

This was one of the gifts my son wanted for Christmas. He was so thrilled to add it to his "library". When I browsed through it, I discovered that it's even simple enough for me to understand!..ha ha
Keep the Dummies books coming.

I am not sure what book the other two readers have read but it sure is not this one, I have been in the business for a number of years and the author offers trite remarks and even worse idioms to pad the book out. If you are interested in XML or Java I would suggest another book such as Mastering Java which actually tells you what Java and XML are for.

I have 18 years exp. with IBM BAL and I'm also doing some work with modern technologies. I have looked through many JAVA/XML books and this is definitely the best book for both beginners and advanced users. Author presents in good depth a vast array of present technology, samples are working like that!! It has helped me a lot to get a grip of advanced matter such as SAX, DOM, JDOM, schema, SOAP and so on... Some other nice features of this book is a good readable style and more than usual coverage of the main subject.
I am grateful to the author for the enormous scope of what has been accomplished. And, of course, I'll try to follow the recommendation to buy another books by Barry Burd in two copies: one for my home, and another for my office.

If you're a Java developer looking to get up to speed on how XML/Java/XSLT/Web Services, and lots of other topics, then this book is a great place to start.

The book doesn't pretend to (and says so) teach every topic it covers (XSL, for example is presented in context but not really taught -- that would take a MUCH bigger book). Still, with some familarity with the topics, the code presented is great. XML (part of the book's title) is covered quite nicely.

It's assumed that you're somewhat familiar with Java.

In my case, I needed to find some clear explanations of how to create an XML file and then read that XML file along with an XSL stylesheet (I was learning XSL using Java/XSLT by O'Reiley at the same time). Barry's JDOM chapter and the chapter on putting data on the Web solved both these issues.

Don't get put off that this is a "Dummies" book. I have found it useful for at least two projects (the most recent I wrote about above).

Also, when there was a minor problem with the code where IE 6 wouldn't recognize the stylesheet processing instruction when it was at the bottom of the XML file, the author was extremely helpful and responsive to this issue. He helped me research the problem and wrote me back with his findings.

To put my review in perspective: I'm the kind of developer who likes to learn to walk before I learn to run. If you like to just jump into a complex book and wade your way though the material, then this book might not be for you. But, if you like to get a feeling for the technology and get relatively straightforward examples *working* first, then check out this book.

Barry explains topics clearly and simply.

All in all, I found this book to be completely refreshing compared to most of the books out there.

He will take your money and never deliver the site. His coding and design is 10 years old. Don't waste your money on his book and NEVER wire him money to the UK.

As informative as this book is, I've found that it doesn't cover much in detail. It brushes against the fundamentals, but lacks a more in-depth guide for advanced developers.

I also found the index and appendixes very difficult to utilize when looking for specific functions. It would have been nice to find ALL references to what I needed and not just the appendix 'definition'.

It's a good starting point for beginners, but advanced users might find it a bit frustrating.

The author has done an excellent job of presenting the enormous amount of information contained in this book. It is laid out logically with step by step instructions and plenty of easy to follow examples. It can be read right through or dipped into when needed. I recommend it to advanced Lasso developers and beginners alike.

The Lasso Professional 5 Developer's Guide certainly demonstrates the foundations of exemplary Lasso development: simple, efficient, well documented code, proper security mechanisms, and a well organized project. But, more importantly, it provides a critical perspective: Lasso is not only a tool to throw up some forms or get a database on the web; it is a fully featured development platform which will allow you to build web applications with incomparable efficiency. Users of Lasso since version 1 to those embarking on their first Lasso project will benefit from the perspective and experience clearly articulated in this well organized and thoughtful guide.

This guide is excellent. I've read the thing cover to cover and consequently left my nervous insecure lasso newbie stage for a pretty much know what the heck I'm doing and can get it done pretty dang fast stage. The book is easy to read with excellent and clear examples. The sample code is invaluable and very practical. It's oriented for both the new and experienced Lasso developer with many insights on Lasso 5 that you won't find elsewhere. It's a reference book and a learning guide. The section of regular expressions just might change your life. I don't think you can't go wrong if you get this book.

This book is for people who do not know HTML already. It covers DHTML very little. Almost the half of the book is about HTML.

I gave it to a friend of mine who wants to start building homepage.

If you're an experienced, get a book from O'Reilley.

Ramalho did a very good reference for who wants to learn html 4.0. The book is very clear and good to stay up-to-date in html code.

I feel that I have a good understanding of HTML after reading this book, and I also got an overview of other important aspects of WEB development, such as Java Script, CGI programs and DHTML. For CGI programming the language Perl was used, which I believe is an old fashion programming language. CGI-programming in C/C++ would have been more helpful. I liked that the author explained thoroughly the differences between Netscape and Internet Explorer, and the programs included on the CD was also helpful. It is not room for everything in one book, but I would have appreciated a better explanation of server topics, such as how to receive information sent from the user (from forms), how to store it on the server, files etc. The script language could also have been more thoroughly described. The educational structure of the book is a bit untidy. The structure varies through the book, which is a bit irritating. The layout of the web pages are a little eighties. It is also a bit difficult to find the examples on the CD-room. OK, enough is enough, this was a very good book, but not a 5-stars. I rate it 4 stars.

The book is easy to use even for novises in HTML. The examples are well documented and easy to understand. Especially the parts on DHTML , Java and Perl make the book usefull for individuals with more knowledge in HTML.

This book takes the novice or intermediate internet user and shows all resources needed to develop a professional page. From the basics of HTML the author takes the reader by the hand and introduces advanced topics including image maps, animated images, Javascript and DHTML. If you are not a web designer and wants to start you home page this book is an excellent option. The book comes with many freeware tools to help the reader write an home page

This book is a very immature guide. The editing is quite poor too. However if all you want is a fast introduction, this book just might help; please don't mind the headache at the end of the day.

WML is based on XML, and is a content format for devices that implement the WAP Wireless Application Protocol specification, such as mobile phones, and preceded the use of other markup languages now used with WAP, such as XHTML and even standard HTML. WMLScript is the dialect of JavaScript used for WML pages and is part of the WAP.

This little book was quite helpful when WML and WMLScript first entered the scene at the turn of the century. It introduced a new technology in a very simple and accessible way as only O'Reilly and Associates can. However, as processing power in handsets increases, it is likely WML will be phased out in the future. Thus at this point it isn't even worthwhile to learn it. I give this book two stars out of respect to how useful it was when it was first published.

I thought this book was great. It struck the right balance between being a comprehensive primer on the topic, having enough detail if you decide you need it and not going into too much detail about stuff that is dealt with elsewhere - like CGI programming or generating pages from languages like Perl. If you want that then buy Leraning Perl or CGI programming on the World Wide Web.

I thought this book was great. It struck the right balance between being a comprehensive primer on the topic, having enough detail if you decide you need it and not going into too much detail about stuff that is dealt with elsewhere - like CGI programming or generating pages from languages like Perl. If you want that then buy Leraning Perl or CGI programming on the World Wide Web.

good handy book to get used to wap terminology & understand wap , wml & wmlscript concepts.

I'm not sure why other people are giving this book such a high mark because my experience with this book is that it's written in haste without much check to the codes that are featured in this book. I would say that in many case using the example off the book would not yield the effect that is shown in the figures. For instance on page 272, the source has a typo where its supposed to say IMG src=" is written as IMGsrc=". With the example of this page the logo image will appear with borders ( an effect you don't want with your company logo ) but the figure in the book shows logo with no borders. I also find the format of presentation to be sketchy and not to be clear about what code produced what effects. The author presents a block of code and boom, this is how the page looks is the way things are explained (?). This is unhelpful especially if the code contains bugs. Readers who have minimal exposure to HTML will no doubt find the gap bewildering. The book also lacks scenario for gradually building up for practical application of each tags. (...)

They probably can lead you in a more concise step by step introduction to each tags and publishing on the web. If you're looking for a list of HTML 4 tag reference, you probably can find a better book than this.

The layout and straightforward presentation of Practical HTML 4 allows the reader to efficiently absorb information very smoothly and quickly. It is a joy to read and cleanly organized with a nice amount of white space to jot down notes, etc. The dissected PARTS into smaller topics are especially helpful. A reader may skip an entire portion without loosing necessary information to move forward through the book. This book claims to be for beginners. This is true but it will also be useful as a reference book for those more experienced. You do not have to look further. Enjoy!

This book is well layed out and has interesting examples that anyone who has never used HTML can follow. I would recomend it as an HTML text or reference book.

The more advanced sections of the book are an ok overview of concepts. Unfortunately, I found that there were a lot of type-o's and some of the javascript examples simply don't work with out being fixed. If the reader has never seen C++ or Java before I don't know how they will figure out what needs fixing.

I recently bought this book because I'm very interested in making my own web pages and didn't know anything at all about HTML. Right from the introduction, I felt comfortable with my decision to buy the book. It was definitely made with the beginner in mind and it even says so. With close to 700 pages you'd think you were taking on a task that was next to astronomical but I assure you, you'll have fun learning with this book and value it's information.

The layout and straightforward presentation of Practical HTML 4 allows the reader to efficiently absorb information very smoothly and quickly. It is a joy to read and cleanly organized with a nice amount of white space to jot down notes, etc. The dissected PARTS into smaller topics are especially helpful. A reader may skip an entire portion without loosing necessary information to move forward through the book. This book claims to be for beginners. This is true but it will also be useful as a reference book for those more experienced. You do not have to look further. Enjoy!

This is a very good book. I have been looking for a book like this for a long time.

This book takes a detailed look at HTML and XHTML and all the various topics that relate to these markup languages. Even at the book's start, it discusses specifications and Document Type Definitions (DTD). In the book's second part, it talks about lists, links, tables, framesets, and forms, some of the "easier" things you can do with HTML and XHTML. Part three gets into adding images and multimedia, and what to watch out for when adding these items. Cascading Style Sheets get a thorough lookover in the book's fourth part, from using them with HTML & XHTML to adding style and positioning. The book also has a huge XMHTL reference section at the back of the book. This book is a wonderful reference guide for anyone working with HTML and XHTML, as well as providing good tutorial information throughout its pages.

This book, like most other primers on XHTML, tries to take the minor differences between standard HTML and XHTML, and turn it into a full blown manuscript. The truth is, if you already know HTML, then you already know most of what you need for XHTML.

XHTML differs little from HTML, except for the following points (I'm using brackets here on purpose so as not to mark up this review) :

- XHTML is case sensitive, e.g. the tags [h1] and [H1] are not equivalent.

- tags must be nested properly, e.g. [b][i]your text here[/b][/i] is incorrect in a "well formed" document.

- certain tags that take no attributes must be terminated with a slash, e.g. [br /]

- XHTML can use "modules" (and good luck trying to understand that chapter in the book).

That's about all you need to know about XHTML. Throw in a DTD definition and you're done. But the book does a poor job of explaining just what a DTD is and why you need one, other than the XML gods just saying you need one.

Much of the book is also C.I.P.U. to HTML users. CSS is given two short chapters with little explanation of why you need CSS and how it can help you manage your web pages. And then it's onto XML, with the same lack of explanation. But, as with most CSS and XML primers, this is typically the case. Everybody is touting the value of XML, but almost nobody can tell you why or how to use this new technology. And this book is no different.

I gave the book two stars because of its one outstanding feature, the references in Appendix C & D. The book is worth having around just for those two sections. In that sense you might want to pick up a used copy for much less than a new one.

This book did a great job describing xhtml,and like most special edition books I really liked. It was easy to understand. However, they didn't do the best describing modularization. I understood it more when I read it on w3.org. It also should've gone a bit further. I was especially disappointed it didn't say anything about xforms which was like the coolest part of xhtml. That doesn't this book isn't worth the money though. Its a great reference, but if you're looking to harness the full potential of xhtml and its newer features go elsewhere.

If, as I recently did, you were to buy Molly Holzschlag's outstanding "Special Edition Using HTML and XHTML" and "Eric Meyer on CSS: Mastering the Language of Web Design," you might wonder if you had awoken on some strange planet in which pricey web books were actually worth the money, and tech authors wrote at a level that both challenged, elucidated, and entertained.

Molly Holzschlag's book, simply put, succeeds on every possible level. The style is clear and personable and the information is cogently and logically presented. As a web standards "insider," she gives you the history behind the development of markup languages rather than just throwing out the standard grid of what breaks in which browsers -- because, as this book so clearly demonstrates, the "why" matters a great deal, and you can't really get your mind around that without a few little history lessons along the way.

But it is not just a collection of dry facts and background info; the book is hands-on all the way, and constantly uses work-along examples to teach how to use XHTML to author web pages.

As Holzschlag states in the intro, the perfect reader for this book is the intermediate user -- someone who has used HTML before, and is quite familiar with web authoring, but maybe wishes to finally learn to do things the "right way," now that the W3C has made some headway with specifications. The book hits its intended audience mark dead on. The info is not dumbed down, yet important concepts are explained in detail. If you encounter a concept that is over your head, chances are there will be a sidebar link to the W3C website for additional information you need to catch up. This seems to me a very good compromise between leaving seasoned professionals bored, and lower-level intermediates in the dust.

There are several excellent reference charts (such as for ASCII symbols, character sets), and a comprehensive XHTML tag reference, making this a perfect all-around desk reference as well as a tool for getting up to speed on XHTML.

I believe this book would be particularly useful for the web designer wishing to move towards using XHTML for content and CSS for style and layout. In that case, I suggest "Eric Meyer on CSS: Mastering the Language of Web Design" as a companion volume to round out the CSS side of things (Actually, Holzschlag herself references Meyer's book several times).

If you really want to make the switch to cleaner markup, and prepare yourself for what's coming on the web (and if you don't think you want to, this book might also convince you why you *should* want to...) you could hardly do better than this book.

XML in Flash begins by illustrating the basics of XML and the Flash XML Object.

In Part I, Flash is used as a teaching aid as you learn the basics of Flash/XML integration.

Part II covers how Flash works with middleware languages, such as PHP and ASP, as well as performance and optimization. You will also create a Flash message board with a database. Part

III delves into the advantages of XMLSocket. Hands-on projects include creating a stock market ticker to receive XML data from servers. Finally, the appendixes include invaluable reference information on XML, XMLNode objects, and XMLSocket objects, as well as Frequently Asked Questions.

The example applications also illustrate the key concepts necessary for understanding the Flash/XML relationship.

I bought this book not knowing what to expect, the description promised quite a bit of know-how was contained within. Pleased to say it was well worth it. Prior to getting this book, I'd gotten good with ActionScript and JavaScript but to hook Flash up with any back-end scripting or XML for my clients I've always been calling other people to consult and half the time had to just go with HTML instead.

I always had a fear of any of those 3-letter languages (ASP/PHP) since the few books I'd gotten on them were way to heavy on programming theory and usually lacking on real world examples, and definitely never had an example of how to connect those things to Flash! There's a good sampling of how to effectively use XML with Flash and working through the examples let me finally understand many concepts that previously had been just out of my grasp.

If you are new to coding, and want to learn about the XML objects in Flash, and how they interact with PHP, ASP and Java, this book will more than get you started. Very well commented source code also.

This book is a MUST HAVE if you plan on working with XML within Flash. The book covers all the details of working with ActionScript and XML. I started out with little knowledge of ActionScript and working with the ActionScript associated with Flash's XML objects and methods. The authors explain almost every thing so clearly, that you understand not only how to work with the XML objects and methods, but how to work with ActionScript. I've found that there are quite a few errors that cause things not to work, which kind of bugged. But with my new knowledge was able to correct the bugs. .... I gave it 4 stars because it was enjoyable learning, easy to understand and I was able to do what I wanted...Learn XML in Flash, I would have given it a +5 if the errors wouldn't have been there.

To be fair, I am giving them 3 stars. I purchased this book months ago to get me started with XML in Flash. I have not read the whole book, and gave up rather easily. I am not saying the book is bad, I just wanted to say that if you tell your readers the web site will be an "invaluble resource for learning the ins and outs of using XML in Flash" you might want to offer more than just the source code.

"[URL]will also have message boards and Frequently Asked Questions so you can find quick answers to any questions that need answering."

Please go to the website and look for yourself.

[URL]

The page was last modified 3/25/2002 and here it is months later.

I bought this guide because I needed a quick lookup for XML schema elements (something you'd think would be readily available online, but isn't - at least not in a usable form). The bulk of the book (70 of its 162 pages - about half) is dedicated to XSD, so I was very happy with what I got. The first 30 pages cover XML itself (all the nitpicking details like predefined entities, what characters are allowed in attribute names, etc). The next 17 pages cover DTD (which you may occasionally still need to know, even these days). The next 70 cover XML Schema, and the book finishes up with an additional 43 pages on Relax-NG and Schematron (two competing, and not very common, schema definition formats).

I agree with other reviewers that the book would have been complete without the Relax-NG and Schematron coverage, but it would have just been 43 pages shorter if that was the case - there's really not much else they could have said about XML, DTD and XSD and still have been a concise "pocket reference". This book is actually pretty thick for an O'Reilly pocket reference - I have four other pocket guides on my bookshelf right now, and the other three have 120, 124 and 66 pages each. By that standard, I figure the coverage of Relax-NG and Schematron were just a "buy one get one free" type of add-on, especially since this book costs the same as all the other pocket reference books.

This book is a perfect reference for somebody who needs a quick, handy reference to XML schema and the occasional XML rule.

My problem with this book is that I was hoping it would concentrate more on just XML Schema, something I think most people would prefer. Of course, how I am qualified to make that kind of statement is beyond me ;-) But here is my reasoning: A fairly large portion of the book covers DTDs, RELAX NG, and Schematron. DTDs, while ubiquitous, are being supplanted by XML Schema. Usage of RELAX NG and Schematron are, by the book's own admission, not widespread. So it seems that all three of these technologies could have been admitted, as were many other XML-related technologies (XSLT, XPath, etc.)
In addition, I feel the regular-expression-like inclusions should have been omitted. These include something referred to as Productions in one part of the book and Contents in another. Maybe good for hard-core CS people, but pretty much useless for those of us who just want to work with XML Schema. An ideal replacement would have been some examples illustrating sample usage of various elements and attributes.
All in all, the descriptions accompanying the elements and attributes are pretty good. Unfortunately, that accounts for only about one-third of the book. But it only costs $10 and it is small, so maybe it's worth it.

The other review book I received yesterday was XML Pocket Reference (3rd Edition) by Simon St. Laurent and Michael Fitzgerald. Depending on what you're looking for, this may or may not the book for you...

Contents: Introduction; XML Structures; Document Type Definitions; W3C XML Schema; RELAX NG; Schematron; XML Specifications; Index

Admittedly, trying to cover "XML" in a single book is a daunting task. XML is made up of so many standards and technologies (XPath, XForms, XML Schema, etc.) that you either have to specialize your coverage area or be ready to publish a *really* heavy book. To their credit, the authors stripped out XSLT into it's own pocket guide. That act keeps this particular book small enough to fit in your pocket and that's good. But if you're wanting information on XSLT and think this might be your book, forget it.

Next, the XML Structures and Document Type Definition chapters seemed to be a little confusing. There was something introduced that I had never heard of before... something called "Productions" followed by syntax that looked like regular expression language. Never having seen that term before in my XML reading, I went back to the introduction to see what the authors wanted to convey there. The only explanation was "As each structure is discussed, applicable productions from the XML 1.0 and 1.1 specs will be listed in the order in which they appear in the specs." So, I still really don't know what productions are, and I probably have to go to the specs to find that out. The description of each section in an XML document, like CDATA or declarations, was nice though.

The book starts to become really useful when you get into the XML Schema section. There they go into each of the elements along with each attribute that can be used with the element. This is the type of reference information I'd expect to see in a pocket guide. Something I can turn to quickly as a refresher for what parameters or attributes I can use with an element, or to gain a quick understanding of an element I haven't seen before. This same structure is followed for the RELAX NG and Schematron schema languages, so the book will be helpful if you live in those worlds also.

Basically, I found the XML Pocket Guide to be a little "hit and miss". If the title had been "XML Schema Pocket Guide", I'd have felt like the book was pretty on target. Trying to call it the XML Pocket Guide seems to infer there's a lot more in here than there actually is, and a buyer might get a copy and be highly disappointed in what it doesn't cover. If you're looking for schema info, you'll love the book. If that's a secondary reason for you to get the book, you might be disappointed.

The majority of the new material in this book is on different schema specifications. Schema, Relax NG and Schematron are covered. A handy book to have around when you are hacking XML. The online free documentation is not as handy as the content as it's organized in this book.

I am one of the coauthors of this book. I feel compelled to write a review in support of my friend and coauthor, Simon St. Laurent, who wrote the section on XML Schema. Of the 160 pages of text in XML Pocket Reference, Third Edition, 71 pages are dedicated to XML Schema. That's 44 percent of the book. Of the 71 pages, 16 pages cover examples of XML Schema.

DTDs are covered in 15 pages, RELAX NG in 32, and Schematron in 10 (57 pages total). XML Schema receives the most extensive treatment of any of the topics covered, and within the limitations of the size of the book, Simon did an excellent job.

XSLT and XPath were not included in this book because a new, separate volume has been dedicated to those topics-XSLT 1.0 Pocket Reference, by Evan Lenz, which also appeared in August 2005.

As for the production rules, they were included for programmers and others who need grammars. The productions, which come from the XML spec, are a means for understanding XML syntax precisely, and it would have been unwise, in my view, to omit them.