Rating: 
Summary: Great reference
Review: This book delivers exactly what you'd expect from a pocket reference: concise introduction, thorough listing of the features, and some practical examples of how to use the information presented. And, unlike the HTTP Pocket Reference, it has an index so you can find things quickly.Well done!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent on hand reference
Review: This book is exactly what I want on hand when developing software. It is clearly written, logically organised and accompanies it's references with simple unambiguous examples. It isn't suitable for learning about XML from scratch, but for people who know the topic and need occassional prompting on detail when working it is nigh perfect (I say nigh because personally I'd lay it out a little differently with some tables of functions, but Amazon doesn't have a 4.5 star ranking so I gave it 5 because it deserves more than 4).
Rating: 
Summary: Small, handy, but a bit dated
Review: This book is great for quickly looking up almost anything XML-related, sort of a pocket XML-English dictionary. Excellent if you have to travel (I took my copy to London in my laptop bag). However, I found that the XSL section is missing descriptions of several elements that have been added to the specification since the book was published a year ago.
Rating: 
Summary: Half part useful, another half part not
Review: This book is ok, the first half part is pretty good.
It covers XML basic and DTD very well, but it does not
cover schema; it covers XSLT/XSLFO also, although there are something inaccurate inside; its part for XLink and XPointer is
useless and wrong; and there is nothing for XML database or
XSP. This book may be helpful, but you need another book as <<XML by example>> or <<Inside XML>> to really learn XML basic. Daniel, IBM certified developer for XML and related technologies.
Rating:
Summary: Useful, But Better Option Exists
Review: This book is small and travels well. It does not have an index, which seems odd for a reference text, but it does have a table of contents. I find Essential XML Quick Reference (ISBN 0-201-74095-8) to be well worth the additional investment.
Rating:
Summary: Useful, But Better Option Exists
Review: This book is small and travels well. It does not have an index, which seems odd for a reference text, but it does have a table of contents. I find Essential XML Quick Reference (ISBN 0-201-74095-8) to be well worth the additional investment.
Rating:
Summary: Merely an introduction to XML...
Review: This book provides a useful overview into the basics of XML while doubling up as a quick reference to the XML specification. Handy for those that want to dabble in XML without buying a more detailed book, but then XML has so many related technologies anyone serious about XML will need more. The O'Reilly pocket references are so concise that they are not really meant for someone who is totally new to the subject. They can however be the ideal way to provide an overview to anyone who wants to know the basics of the topic.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent and concise...but XML moves fast
Review: This concise reference is excellent in its coverage of XML, Namespaces, XSL, XLink, and XPointer. It doesn't mention XPath and XSLT explicitly, because when it was written (mid-1999) they hadn't been separated out from XSL (but they are covered under XSL). There are a couple of areas which could be improved: -- It's a bit annoying that it assumes that XML is primarily an extensible HTML: a way of representing documents whose appearance will be specified using XSK stylesheets. Although this is misleading, and ignores the tremendous value of XML for data interchange, it doesn't diminish the value of the reference material; still, it colors the examples and the general approach. -- Pointers to Web resources would have been useful. (e.g. oasis-open.org). I hope that O'Reilly plans to revise this useful reference frequently while XML continues to evolve rapidly. In the meantime, it will be useful to check the w3.org site regularly.
Rating:
Summary: Best XML Book I've Read
Review: This is a great book. Its 97 pages of information that is well presented and easy to understand. This was a great book that all XML developers should buy.
Rating:
Summary: Skip the Tomes
Review: This is a great effort from O'Reilly. As a developer I find it discouraging to be handed a 1200 page book on every topic. I now spend lots of time finding a small book with the right stuff and no filler. It pays off in a major way and this book is a great illustration of just that. The author gives the staright facts and suggestions on use without the fluff and pages of what he thinks about it. Buy it. Read it. Develop something useful. Get on with life.
| 
