Rating: 
Summary: Visually stunning but...
Review: All the designs are heavily mortised, require a LOT of nested tables, and are mainly geared toward content-heavy sites with extensive menus. (For those of us who think that paying hundreds of dollars of Photoshop is ridiculous when Paint Shop Pro does the same for 1/6 the cost, be warned the templates are Photoshop-centric.) As someone already said, these are visually stunning examples, but very tables-intensive which can be time-consuming to edit/code and may be problematic for impaired site visitors who rely on web-reading technology. For the dozen or so examples (and their variations), decide for yourself if inspiration is worth the cost.
Rating: 
Summary: Strong, basic coding practices
Review: Apparently, one of the reviewers doesn't know much about coding sites so that they're compatible with all browsers. Using CSS is NOT the guaranteed way to design. I found this book very helpful in understanding how to design a site that satisfies everyone. I tried using CSS to layout sites, but it, unforutnately, is not supported consistently throughout the internet. While I was impressed by the designs, I want to correct this misunderstanding. I know because I've wasted too much time working with the "latest" technology.
Rating:
Summary: Clint Eccher keeps his promises.
Review: As a completely self-taught web designer, I have read many how-to books but this is the most useful. If you're ready to go from that home-made look to real professional looking websites, this is the book for you. Clint Eccher keeps his promises. You get the clear, complete explanation of how it's done; you get the code; you get the modifiable graphics; you even get some JavaScript that actually works; you get the tips and techniques of how to make it all work in both major browsers. This is the best money I've spent on learning material in a long time.
Rating: 
Summary: Misleading information but helpful to non-designers & novice
Review: As a professional web designer with over seven years of experience, I found this book very misleading as well as not providing enough helpful industry information on building templates and how to actually plan and WHY you're planning the way that you are. I think it's a helpful book for non-designers and novices although I would not consider it of professional caliber both in terms of code and design.
Rating:
Summary: Welcome to the new world of Web Design!
Review: As a programmer I focus mostly on functionality and usually pay someone to do my design work. This book is comprehensive in it's instruction of design techniques, style sheets, and other web site issues. I have already used the templates to create a site for a client!!! It only took a few hours to develop a fully functional, very attractive, cutting edge web site.
Rating:
Summary: The buy of a lifetime!
Review: As a trained artist and computer professional, I found this book to be amazingly strong in BOTH web design functionality and aesthetic application. I have not come across another such book that is applicable to students and professionals at the same time. The text is concise while covering all the aspects of web site design. As an artist, I found the examples and explanations of basic and advanced image prep to be concise, as well. The templates on the disk are easy to manipulate and personalize. I can't believe that you can buy such phenominal site designs ...!! Believe it, it's true.
Rating:
Summary: Good Introduction to Mortised Site Design
Review: As the title says, this is a book on the design of web pages. It is focused on producing designs that reflect many of the modern trends in web design thought. There was a time a few years back when the web sites of all the major companies used Macromedia Flash to animate, that is create movement, on their home pages. For instance, the authors report, quite accurately I think, that such animation has not proven suitable for the majority of web sites. Like Microsoft's "clippy" paper clip "help" thing that used to appear at the bottom of Word/Esce./Etc. a lot of people really don't like moving things.
These authors really like mortised sites. This design philosophy uses tables within tables within tables to provide the view the authors are trying to create. The designs they give in their fifty included templates are of the mortised type. The trouble with mortised sites is that you have to receive all of the information for the site before the browser can begin drawing the tables on the screen. With todays fast processors, this is not usually a problem. But they can get dreadfully slow if you are accessing them over a slow line, especially if they include a lot of graphical images.
The back of the book says this is for Beginner to Intermediate. This does not mean the Front Page level beginner. You'd best have some idea about HTML before you start this one. I'd say it's an intermediate level book, which is reflected in the wording on the back page.
Rating:
Summary: Two Thumbs up!!
Review: I am a developer and can make a web page do anything I want it to do. But my design skills (prior to reading this book) were for the most part, 2 columns black text on white background. maybe a picture here or there. I could not design a site to save my life. This book has changed all that. After reading it, excited with my new found knowledge, I went to the web designers at my company (probably some of the best anywhere) and told them everything I learned. Thier reaction was "duh... We know that..." Even without the templates, this book will open a new world to non designers. The templates are just icing on the cake. If you are a developer, that can make a web page sing, but have the design skills of a slug, then this book is for you. It will give you the design skills that you need to do anything you want!
Rating:
Summary: Good starting place for novice web design enthusiasts.
Review: I am by no means an accomplished web designer. I further am an incompetent when it comes to the graphic arts.
I thus have purchased several books to get my commercial web site up and running - LJ's Breaking Free$ To get you free and kiss wage-slaving goodbye - Your link to independence.
The templates are a great help. Hey, in this case I bought the book especially for the templates.
I think you'll find the case studies almost as useful as the templates. After all, there is little so helpful as a direct example.
Here's to all you budding web designers!
Rating:
Summary: Decide for yourself
Review: I found the book to be absolutely fantastic. Not only does it offer sound tecnical advice, but it also provides amazing templates that a couple of my clients have truly been amazed by.
Design, however, is very subjective. The best advice I can offer is what was suggested to me by a fellow designer. Go to Mr. Eccher's site (a5design.com) and decide for yourself whether the designs are for you. What you see on the templates and portfolio pages is exactly the quality of work you'll get with the book.
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