Rating: 
Summary: did you note the publishing date??
Review: Answer: 2002. That should be a "caution" for buying this book.
Outdated tech. references: no mention of Trelix nor even Windows XP. A mention of Windows 2000 if that means allot to you.
Trelix (a free service/perk of most ADSL ISPs or web hosting services) makes web design easy with no need for this book nor HTML knowledge. I bought it as Trelix did not answer a few minor questions & I thought I was an "Idiot" & needed some "hand-holding" by this Author. I'll give this book away to someone who actually wants to learn HTML. I was able to finally add a "counter" to my Verizon hosted site as this book did give me enough to appreciate the nuances of the free counter site upload advice. Another: "dust collector book on the self".
Rating: 
Summary: Essential
Review: Before you turn away from a title that says "Complete Idiot's Guide"...don't feel embaressed! I willfully purchased this book because I wanted to make my own web page. "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Creating an HTML Web Page" is the perfect and essential companion for beginners. You have to know basic information on the internet and computers but besides that it's a great resource. The book is very thorough and covers every aspect of advanced HTML (Forms, Frames, Image Maps) to beginner (Links, Paragraph Tags, Basic Documents). Not only does it have HTML lessons but it also gives notes on how to organize your site to make it look good for its audience. I found this book very laid-back and sincere. It's devided into several chapters and also includes humerous comics below each chapter title. So If you're a beginner HTML/web-page Enthusiast, know a little already about how Windows and the Internet works then I would definatly reccomend "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Creating an HTML webpage." My overral grade for this book is an A+
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Summary: Learning HTML 4? This is a MUST BUY!
Review: Have you decided that you want to learn HTML and didn't know where to start? "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Creating an HTML 4 Web Page" by Paul McFedries is the answer! The book is divided into three parts. Part 1 is Creating Your First HTML page and covers chapters 1 through 7. It starts out first explaining what HTML is. In the second chapter, which is titled Laying the Foundation: The Basic Structure of a Web Page, you begin coding. Paul explains all the HTML tags and has plenty of examples. Chapter 3 covers formatting and how to insert special characters into your web page. The book does not include all the special characters. It is 11 pages. The TM mark is one of the characters not included and is why I searched for it when Imation was going to be presenting to us. Chapter 4 gets into creating numbered list, bulleted list, and definition list. Adding links is covered in chapter 5. It covers local links, e-mail links, and links to other net resources including FTP, Gopher, Usenet, and Telnet. Nobody likes plain web pages, so in chapter 6, Paul shows you how to add images to your web page. He also covers the copyright issues. Of course no one can view your HTML creation until it is on a web server, so in chapter 7 Paul covers FTPing your creation to your ISP. Part two is titled A Grab Bag of Web Wonders and includes chapters 8 through 19. Using images for links and creating imagemaps is covered in chapter 8. Chapter 18 list some resources for finding images on the net.The book also covers tables, multimedia, feedback forms, style sheets, and redirecting browsers with client pull. Two additional chapters worth mentioning are Chapter 19 which is about the Personal Web Server and chapter 22, which is about Front Page Express. A geek speak dictionary is included in Appendix A. The book includes a CD Rom , which includes CoolEdit, CuteFTP, Live Image, and Map Edit. There are also programs for your friends that use Macs. It also includes over 500 professional web graphics. The book is now in it's third edition. END
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Summary: Follow the directions and you've made a website!
Review: I had never dreamed I would be able to create a website myself, let alone WANT to create a website myself. However, as a Personal and Executive Coach, I realized I would have to change my tune. I read at least one other book on this topic that was so full of jargon I was lost by page 10. Then I got this book. Within 2 days I was writing my own HTML code. This book is written so simply and plainly that if you follow the directions (I didn't even look at the included interactive CD) you are sure to be able to create a website. The chapters flow in a logical fashion and build on each other, yet are so easy to read, that it is simple to flip back and forth if you forget what an abbreviation or code stands for. In short, this book enabled me to singlehandedly build my website, and I wholeheartedly endorse it.
Rating: 
Summary: great introduction to web design
Review: I knew a little HTML before purchasing this book, but I wanted a better handle on it, and this book gave me that. The book includes information on getting webspace, basic construction, design tips, and extras. It also provides a good overview of cascading style sheets, tutorials on web design programs such as Netscape Composer, a glossary, and a CD-ROM containing HTML examples and other resources. What I value most about the CD-ROM is the included software. There are some excellent programs for both Windows and Macintosh.
Given CSS's rising popularity, I wish that the book had a list of the basic definitions, but McFedries only provides a few CSS examples in the one chapter on style sheets. You'll have to pick out the exact terms from his examples, from the HTML sources of webpages, or from other web resources (there are some excellent ones; do a Google search).
Generally, though, I've kept this book at my desk, for easy access while I'm working on my webpages, and I regularly use the programs included on the CD-ROM.
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Summary: Excellent for non-idiots too !
Review: I knew nothing about HTML when I bought this book. Three weeks later, I am happily designing a website, using cascading style sheets, etc... I actually bought 3 books and I used them all, but I found this one to be the most useful. It won't be the only information you'll ever need. I ended up buying Dreamweaver and depending on the help there a lot. But this book gave me a solid start. Pedagogically, it is far superior to Dreamveaver Help and to the other 2 books I have. It is systematic. It is very complete. It has a good index. And it comes with a CD containing a wealth of useful info, like well-presented details about tags and style sheets, and a nice table of websafe colors. The CD also contains many good programs to copy or evaluate. The only thing I disliked about McFedries is that he takes this "idiot" label too seriously and every now and then (much too often!) he thinks he has to justify his title by acting as stupid himself as the reader is supposed to be. But apart from this minor annoyance, the book is a real pleasure.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't Be An Idiot
Review: I've used several Idiot's Guides and Dummy books in the pasy with a high level of satisfaction. This one doesn't measure up to the standards the others have set.The book is overly simplistic, and everything taught can be found easily on the web for free. Don't waste your money on this one. David M Farrands
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Summary: Overall a good book, but no Mac support
Review: This book covers a lot of html coding for making your own website. It also covers the mechanics of getting your site "loaded" onto the web, which most books lack. My big disappointment is that it doesn't cover Mac software for creating and publishing webpages. While html is platform-neutral, the mechanics of publishing a website are not identical. At least something more than minimal acknowledgment of the Mac would be in order.
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Summary: The very best!
Review: This book is a must have for all beginners to the webmastering world! It has pages and pages of valuable information for all aspects of a web designer's everyday work. Paul McFedries adds a touch of humor to this book, to make the hard work seem easier. All in all, I believe this is the best beginners guide out there.
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Summary: Great Beginning HTML
Review: This book is one of the gems of the computer book industry. Many are just un readable, and some dont even teach you anything, but this one finds the perfect middle ground. Will hilarious anecdotes interspersed between great instructions, this is a truly great book. From the beginning which calmly reminds you that HTML is not a "langauge" that some other books are about, but is a lot easier too learn to the ending "Rounding out Your HMTL Education" section, this book is truly informative. This great book started me out on my web designing education in a great way, and I highly recommend it to everyone.
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