This is a great tutorial as far as layout and hands on learning, but... and this is a BIG one... it's old technology. Websites use flexboxes now, not table as an example. If this was updated I'd definitely be first in line to purchase it, but as it is, I wish I had passed.

I am 64 years old, I took a HTML & CSS test recently and scored a 35, I had taken some on-line training and had been frustrated by not being able to remember effectively when it came to test time. 1) The cognitive approach that Mark Myers uses is for the reader to spend 5 - 10 minutes covering the key elements. 2) Then the reader practice's by answering 20 questions that cover the key elements. 3) The questions are styled in away that causes the student to retrieve the "key elements" using five different ways of typing their answers: --non-timed big box entry --puzzle assembly --small box: single key stroke entry --timed big box entry --lab style questions The student is forced to use multiple visual learning modalities. This approach causes the user to start creating NEW neural pathways in their brain which is "A smarter Way to Learn" I just finished the 10th chapter and I am noticing that I am remembering more!!!

This is a great way to learn code! I am a hands on learner and sometimes, it's hard for me to stay focused. I can easily get 3 chapters done a day, and retain the information. I tested this yesterday...after I got home from a long, grueling day of work😣...i sat down and started reading. The chapters took 5-10 minutes at most to read, then, at the end of the chapter, you are directed to go to the practice site. Each chapter has its own practice link. You type in the answers and if you get an incorrect answer, it will go back to it once you have completed the other questions. It will do this until you get it right..I was able to complete 3 chapters and practices last nite and then I walked away..which the author recommends. Today, I started again and I was able to complete three more..having the ability to actually do the steps myself made me realize that it doesn't have to be complicated and there isn't just one way to learn coding, but I found the best way for me. There are programs and books out there that just throw you into coding without showing you the basics first and it can make it more difficult than it has to be. If you are a newbie and you are ready to do what it takes to learn coding (it takes a serious commitment), I would recommend this series to help get you off to a great start! To your success!

I have always had an affinity/natural ability for computer programming, but was unable to take that as my major course of study at the campus I attended when I went to technical school a little 'later' in life. I was able to take a couple of classes in a couple of languages back then, and although I loved it and was good at it, it is still challenging to learn even when you have instructor and tutors to learn it from right in front of you, so now, even more 'later' in life when my ability to learn isn't nearly as quick as when I was younger and my memory is worse, when I wanted to teach myself so I could finally do what I really loved, I knew I was getting into a big challenge for myself. While searching for books here on Amazon, I stumbled across Mark's books while looking up JavaScript texts. His books were highly reviewed and I knew from my previous experiences that the best way to learn coding is to practice it yourself (because in a way you're learning a whole new language; a certain, precise way of thinking). I was very excited that the chapters were short and you practiced every chapter to really get this into your memory (old as I am now, this is a very important aspect). I got the JavaScript book first (which I haven't reviewed yet as I haven't finished it yet), and then found that I really should know HTML/CSS in order to plug in my JavaScript code into the webpages that would be using it, so about halfway through that book I purchased this one and started it. I have really enjoyed this way of learning. I've finished the book before reviewing, the only thing I haven't done is the last "exercise" which is to build my own 3-page webpage. I wanted to wait to review til I truly had gone through the whole book so I would be giving an honest review that is truly from my own experience of the learning process in the book. Just a note, although I firmly give this a very enthusiastic 5 stars, there are a few typos here and there in the book. I have read other self-published books, so that doesn't phase me, I knew what was being communicated or if there was some punctuation or the like left out of a coding example in the book, it was already so impressed on my brain the correct way to do it, sometimes I didn't even notice those tiny errors myself until I was copying the examples into my notes! (which really helps my memory) Final note, all Mark's books in particular are so incredibly inexpensive for the Kindle e-reader version that's why it was so easy to make the first purchase that I did. I downloaded the Kindle for PC app and then could work on either my desktop at home or laptop when traveling, so made it quite easy to continue studying even when I'm here, there and everywhere during my week. Another note: Mark has made it so you can only go to online exercises link from the e-book from PC, not Kindle Fires, phones or tablets, which makes sense because it would be incredibly difficult to code from any of those devices, in my opinion. Main point: if you want a way to teach yourself coding, I think this just might be the best way to do it, most bang for your buck! Final point: please Mark come out with a PHP book soon! That is what I want to learn next after finishing your JavaScript book!

I wanted to learn to code, but the hardest part was just learning HOW to study. I'm a reader, but most learn-to-code websites have you work directly in a text editor and you go from one lesson directly into the other. When it came time to do exercises, I had no references to work from. I decided to go back to basics and learn HTML & CSS first, but came across the same issue. Downloading cheat-sheets were useless without context. Then - I found this. THANK YOU GOD for this book. Each lesson is in the book is short and simple (but not dumbed down). After reading the lesson, you follow up with the online exercises, which are fun and gratifying because you realized how much you just learned. There are a number of exercises for each chapter, and they repeat in different variations - the repetition helps immensely. During the exercises you are also prompted to work in an online editor to put what you just learned into practice, and you get to see your coding in action. After going several weeks without working on it, I was mad at myself thinking I'd probably have to start all over again. I went to the online quizzes first to see if I'd retained any of it - and breezed through every single one of them. Every single one. I was able to pick up right where I left off with no review whatsoever. I DID learn it! I DID retain it! I GOT IT!! Can't wait to finish this book and then on to Java! I finally think I can do this!

Last fall (fall of 2019) I took an introductory level class to web development. I honestly wish that I would have had more time with it because it was way more involved, even for an introductory level, where it seemed like the class was all learning at different levels, and the instruction was so-so. Some classmates knew what they were doing. I was one of the complete novices, and required additional help from my professor to figure out some of the nuances. I ended my semester not completing 3 of the assignments (in JavaScript) simply because I didn't have enough time to master the HTML and CSS with the minimal training. I really needed more activities to master this coding language. I want to note that I have a basic conceptual understanding of coding. I am a Special Education Teacher in Math and Sciences (teaching in subject content of Algebra). Pros: This book is well sequenced. It offers practical and SHORT activities for learners to apply their knowledge immediately and to test themselves on their knowledge as they go along. There are several activities that you can do at the end of each (2-pages at most) chapter to see if you understand the concept being taught. I appreciate how the author attempts to simplify the main concepts into short chapters so you can attempt to learn code quickly. He tries his best to also cover all basis, so if you had any questions that they might be answered by his explanation. Cons: Some of the examples are over simplified. There are some areas where it would be best taught if the reader had a solid example to copy exactly as is, only because there are some topics he did not cover enough of. I've noticed some really simple spelling and syntax errors in his examples that would cause the code to NOT WORK. I was fortunate to see them myself, but for other novices this can create hours of frustration. I still think that his intentions were good and this is one of the better books out there, but it could have used some more editing. This book also doesn't have enough visual examples for the user to learn independently. I think it's hard to have a happy medium of examples, but this book doesn't seem to have enough. A MAJOR ISSUE/FLAW with this text, is that the chapters should be treated as individual activities (in other words you cannot just use the same file because he recycles the same examples, so coding that was specified in a previous chapter might be different, but the new example will have the same name as the old one. This has caused me to create several instances of conflicting code because I was doing all the activities in the same file, never realizing that these things were going to interfere. It's basically poor style of writing on the author's part.) My textbook for my online class was extremely colorful and had tons of visuals, but it was honestly difficult to read because the numerous amounts of visuals had a lot of inconsistencies as to what was an example, and what was important information.

I have been using this book, the "A smarter way to learn Javascript", codeschool, and am trying to get bitsbox to work. This book seems to be excellent for learning the nuts and bolts in bite sized chunks while applying the concepts in a way that forces you to absorb the material in a way that makes students repeat (great for memory) and think about how the code/syntax is actually working. A suggestion to the author and other learners: I think once these nuts and bolts are absorbed well and you feel like you're thinking "like a coder", there will need to be more exercises that cover two areas. 1st: Additive exercises within each book and related books. Meaning, maybe every three lessons, there are a new set of exercises that apply all the concepts of the preceding lessons. This would help ensure reviewing would take place and that using all skills would come together. If my understanding is correct, then adding exercises from related books (applying lessons from the Javascript book to this book) would also make sense. The second area would be to make more plain language, real world exercises/projects. For example, instead of making an exercise where the instructions are clearly written as "Write a paragraph with opening and closing tags where the 4th word is in bold using the alternative bold method.", perhaps something more like "You are teaching a class of 5 students how to code. You graded their tests and you need to post it on a web page. List the students results and make sure the students with high marks clearly see you congratulating them. Make sure the failing students clearly see they need to study more. Use stylized text to help make your messages noticeable." This would be more free form than training nuts and bolts and could be self checked in JSFiddle.

Don't fool yourself about that word "basic" in my title. HTML is deceptively easy to understand, but is difficult to recall without having experience. Pros: The intro of this book is what really sells why you should get this book. If you can relate to the intro, then this book is probably one you should get. The author does a good job teaching by keeping things simple. The drills are what give you experience, and that gives you the ability to recall the elements, attributes, and values. Even without the website, this book is more easy to digest than most websites out there, and is probably worth the purchase without the website, but just barely. The book truly is very simple. The author's website is for drilling what you read. The drills are very simple, and do seem lazily put together (they consist of 20 questions, the first 9 get repeated again in a timed drill -- last 2 are live coding drills via a third-party editor on a website). But this doesn't really matter. The point is you have access to drills that you didn't to take the time to create yourself. Cons: This book does not cover HTML5 elements. So you'll need to pick up another book with this one if you are striving to become a professional. The author's practice drills seem to have gotten too lazy about 2/3 through the book, so I stopped doing them -- admittedly, it is also difficult to create a practice drill when the course grows in complexity. So I sympathize with that. It wasn't an issue because the content becomes more conceptual than practice. Conclusion: I'm grateful for this book because the drills have built a good foundation in me. And from here, I feel much more prepared than I would have been without the drills, to go onto more sophisticated HTML books.

I am an older guy that decided that I wanted to learn coding and get a basic understanding of Web Development. I use a computer but I am not a real "computer guy". I bought a couple of books to help get me started. I struggled at the beginning. I then came across this book (A Smarter Way to Learn HTML & CSS). I bought the kindle version. I love this book. The other books I bought have been set aside. I may come back to them at some point but this one is getting my full attention right now. The chapters are very short. Usually no more that 3 pages or so. Each chapter builds on the one before it. What makes the book for me is the interactive online tests that come with each chapter. They give you a real opportunity to see what you know. They also help to solidify that knowledge. Many times when I began a test for a particular chapter I wasn't sure if I had the concept down but by the time the test was completed I had it down. You can always go back to previous tests to make sure that you hold onto that information. Now understand that the tests can be a challenge and can be a little frustrating. You have to code the way the author does on the test and sometimes you have to do it just right. But that is alright by me. I'm learning and it is fun. I am grateful for the time and effort that Mr. Myers put in to making the online tests. I am planning on buying the books for Javascript and JQuery. I hope there will be more books like this to follow. Thank you Mr. Myers.

Mr. Meyer has produced a very good book and learning experience. It is divided into 90 short--often only one or two page--lessons covering the basics of creating a webpage. After reading the lesson, you code your own local text files, and then display your practice webpage in your browser. But the most unusual thing about the book is that each lesson has an online test you take to help you nail down the topic. The tests aren't hard, but Mr. Meyer is very picky with how your answers are entered, stressing the importance of strict syntax and good coding practices, and I found myself frequently frustrated when I made a typo or misunderstood a question and failed it. However, no harm no foul, you are given as many repeat tries as you need until you finally get it right. In that respect, working through the exams is very much like coding. Most coding errors in my experience are typos. I can't tell you how often I've written "left-margin:" instead of "margin-left:", and then pulled my hair out trying to figure out why my margins weren't changed. It's not a large book, but it took me nearly two months to work through it, because of the frustration I experienced doing the exams. I don't mean that as a criticism of the book, it says more about me than the book, I'm sure. At 90 lessons, if you do two a day (which was my norm), it will take you at least a month and a half to finish. At the end of every test, you have the opportunity to submit a form to Mr. Meyer if you've found any mistakes or misprints, etc., in the book or the online exam, and you can make suggestions to him there as well. To his credit, he responded to every post I sent him. I wish that feature were incorporated in other programming books. I have also purchased his two other works: one on Javascript and the other on jQuery. They're next to do on my calendar. If there is one thing I found super annoying about this book, it is the binding which absolutely refused to lie flat on the desktop as I was entering code into my practice files. I think a spiral binding would be a godsend, but that's a small quibble really, and for all I know too expensive to be practical. One last note: I'm not a newbie, I've created a dozen or so websites for myself and for non-profit organizations I've been active in, but I still learned many things in this book. I wouldn't consider for beginners only. Woops! One more thing. I usually buy cheat sheets for languages to keep on my desktop and look up tags and commands I will otherwise mix up. I think this book is small enough, and the table of contents will take you quickly to a given task and provide sample code for you along with an explanation. I doubt anyone will need a cheat sheet for the basics if they purchase this book.

This is a great tutorial as far as layout and hands on learning, but... and this is a BIG one... it's old technology. Websites use flexboxes now, not table as an example. If this was updated I'd definitely be first in line to purchase it, but as it is, I wish I had passed.

I am 64 years old, I took a HTML & CSS test recently and scored a 35, I had taken some on-line training and had been frustrated by not being able to remember effectively when it came to test time. 1) The cognitive approach that Mark Myers uses is for the reader to spend 5 - 10 minutes covering the key elements. 2) Then the reader practice's by answering 20 questions that cover the key elements. 3) The questions are styled in away that causes the student to retrieve the "key elements" using five different ways of typing their answers: --non-timed big box entry --puzzle assembly --small box: single key stroke entry --timed big box entry --lab style questions The student is forced to use multiple visual learning modalities. This approach causes the user to start creating NEW neural pathways in their brain which is "A smarter Way to Learn" I just finished the 10th chapter and I am noticing that I am remembering more!!!

This is a great way to learn code! I am a hands on learner and sometimes, it's hard for me to stay focused. I can easily get 3 chapters done a day, and retain the information. I tested this yesterday...after I got home from a long, grueling day of work😣...i sat down and started reading. The chapters took 5-10 minutes at most to read, then, at the end of the chapter, you are directed to go to the practice site. Each chapter has its own practice link. You type in the answers and if you get an incorrect answer, it will go back to it once you have completed the other questions. It will do this until you get it right..I was able to complete 3 chapters and practices last nite and then I walked away..which the author recommends. Today, I started again and I was able to complete three more..having the ability to actually do the steps myself made me realize that it doesn't have to be complicated and there isn't just one way to learn coding, but I found the best way for me. There are programs and books out there that just throw you into coding without showing you the basics first and it can make it more difficult than it has to be. If you are a newbie and you are ready to do what it takes to learn coding (it takes a serious commitment), I would recommend this series to help get you off to a great start! To your success!

I have always had an affinity/natural ability for computer programming, but was unable to take that as my major course of study at the campus I attended when I went to technical school a little 'later' in life. I was able to take a couple of classes in a couple of languages back then, and although I loved it and was good at it, it is still challenging to learn even when you have instructor and tutors to learn it from right in front of you, so now, even more 'later' in life when my ability to learn isn't nearly as quick as when I was younger and my memory is worse, when I wanted to teach myself so I could finally do what I really loved, I knew I was getting into a big challenge for myself. While searching for books here on Amazon, I stumbled across Mark's books while looking up JavaScript texts. His books were highly reviewed and I knew from my previous experiences that the best way to learn coding is to practice it yourself (because in a way you're learning a whole new language; a certain, precise way of thinking). I was very excited that the chapters were short and you practiced every chapter to really get this into your memory (old as I am now, this is a very important aspect). I got the JavaScript book first (which I haven't reviewed yet as I haven't finished it yet), and then found that I really should know HTML/CSS in order to plug in my JavaScript code into the webpages that would be using it, so about halfway through that book I purchased this one and started it. I have really enjoyed this way of learning. I've finished the book before reviewing, the only thing I haven't done is the last "exercise" which is to build my own 3-page webpage. I wanted to wait to review til I truly had gone through the whole book so I would be giving an honest review that is truly from my own experience of the learning process in the book. Just a note, although I firmly give this a very enthusiastic 5 stars, there are a few typos here and there in the book. I have read other self-published books, so that doesn't phase me, I knew what was being communicated or if there was some punctuation or the like left out of a coding example in the book, it was already so impressed on my brain the correct way to do it, sometimes I didn't even notice those tiny errors myself until I was copying the examples into my notes! (which really helps my memory) Final note, all Mark's books in particular are so incredibly inexpensive for the Kindle e-reader version that's why it was so easy to make the first purchase that I did. I downloaded the Kindle for PC app and then could work on either my desktop at home or laptop when traveling, so made it quite easy to continue studying even when I'm here, there and everywhere during my week. Another note: Mark has made it so you can only go to online exercises link from the e-book from PC, not Kindle Fires, phones or tablets, which makes sense because it would be incredibly difficult to code from any of those devices, in my opinion. Main point: if you want a way to teach yourself coding, I think this just might be the best way to do it, most bang for your buck! Final point: please Mark come out with a PHP book soon! That is what I want to learn next after finishing your JavaScript book!

I wanted to learn to code, but the hardest part was just learning HOW to study. I'm a reader, but most learn-to-code websites have you work directly in a text editor and you go from one lesson directly into the other. When it came time to do exercises, I had no references to work from. I decided to go back to basics and learn HTML & CSS first, but came across the same issue. Downloading cheat-sheets were useless without context. Then - I found this. THANK YOU GOD for this book. Each lesson is in the book is short and simple (but not dumbed down). After reading the lesson, you follow up with the online exercises, which are fun and gratifying because you realized how much you just learned. There are a number of exercises for each chapter, and they repeat in different variations - the repetition helps immensely. During the exercises you are also prompted to work in an online editor to put what you just learned into practice, and you get to see your coding in action. After going several weeks without working on it, I was mad at myself thinking I'd probably have to start all over again. I went to the online quizzes first to see if I'd retained any of it - and breezed through every single one of them. Every single one. I was able to pick up right where I left off with no review whatsoever. I DID learn it! I DID retain it! I GOT IT!! Can't wait to finish this book and then on to Java! I finally think I can do this!

Last fall (fall of 2019) I took an introductory level class to web development. I honestly wish that I would have had more time with it because it was way more involved, even for an introductory level, where it seemed like the class was all learning at different levels, and the instruction was so-so. Some classmates knew what they were doing. I was one of the complete novices, and required additional help from my professor to figure out some of the nuances. I ended my semester not completing 3 of the assignments (in JavaScript) simply because I didn't have enough time to master the HTML and CSS with the minimal training. I really needed more activities to master this coding language. I want to note that I have a basic conceptual understanding of coding. I am a Special Education Teacher in Math and Sciences (teaching in subject content of Algebra). Pros: This book is well sequenced. It offers practical and SHORT activities for learners to apply their knowledge immediately and to test themselves on their knowledge as they go along. There are several activities that you can do at the end of each (2-pages at most) chapter to see if you understand the concept being taught. I appreciate how the author attempts to simplify the main concepts into short chapters so you can attempt to learn code quickly. He tries his best to also cover all basis, so if you had any questions that they might be answered by his explanation. Cons: Some of the examples are over simplified. There are some areas where it would be best taught if the reader had a solid example to copy exactly as is, only because there are some topics he did not cover enough of. I've noticed some really simple spelling and syntax errors in his examples that would cause the code to NOT WORK. I was fortunate to see them myself, but for other novices this can create hours of frustration. I still think that his intentions were good and this is one of the better books out there, but it could have used some more editing. This book also doesn't have enough visual examples for the user to learn independently. I think it's hard to have a happy medium of examples, but this book doesn't seem to have enough. A MAJOR ISSUE/FLAW with this text, is that the chapters should be treated as individual activities (in other words you cannot just use the same file because he recycles the same examples, so coding that was specified in a previous chapter might be different, but the new example will have the same name as the old one. This has caused me to create several instances of conflicting code because I was doing all the activities in the same file, never realizing that these things were going to interfere. It's basically poor style of writing on the author's part.) My textbook for my online class was extremely colorful and had tons of visuals, but it was honestly difficult to read because the numerous amounts of visuals had a lot of inconsistencies as to what was an example, and what was important information.

I have been using this book, the "A smarter way to learn Javascript", codeschool, and am trying to get bitsbox to work. This book seems to be excellent for learning the nuts and bolts in bite sized chunks while applying the concepts in a way that forces you to absorb the material in a way that makes students repeat (great for memory) and think about how the code/syntax is actually working. A suggestion to the author and other learners: I think once these nuts and bolts are absorbed well and you feel like you're thinking "like a coder", there will need to be more exercises that cover two areas. 1st: Additive exercises within each book and related books. Meaning, maybe every three lessons, there are a new set of exercises that apply all the concepts of the preceding lessons. This would help ensure reviewing would take place and that using all skills would come together. If my understanding is correct, then adding exercises from related books (applying lessons from the Javascript book to this book) would also make sense. The second area would be to make more plain language, real world exercises/projects. For example, instead of making an exercise where the instructions are clearly written as "Write a paragraph with opening and closing tags where the 4th word is in bold using the alternative bold method.", perhaps something more like "You are teaching a class of 5 students how to code. You graded their tests and you need to post it on a web page. List the students results and make sure the students with high marks clearly see you congratulating them. Make sure the failing students clearly see they need to study more. Use stylized text to help make your messages noticeable." This would be more free form than training nuts and bolts and could be self checked in JSFiddle.

Don't fool yourself about that word "basic" in my title. HTML is deceptively easy to understand, but is difficult to recall without having experience. Pros: The intro of this book is what really sells why you should get this book. If you can relate to the intro, then this book is probably one you should get. The author does a good job teaching by keeping things simple. The drills are what give you experience, and that gives you the ability to recall the elements, attributes, and values. Even without the website, this book is more easy to digest than most websites out there, and is probably worth the purchase without the website, but just barely. The book truly is very simple. The author's website is for drilling what you read. The drills are very simple, and do seem lazily put together (they consist of 20 questions, the first 9 get repeated again in a timed drill -- last 2 are live coding drills via a third-party editor on a website). But this doesn't really matter. The point is you have access to drills that you didn't to take the time to create yourself. Cons: This book does not cover HTML5 elements. So you'll need to pick up another book with this one if you are striving to become a professional. The author's practice drills seem to have gotten too lazy about 2/3 through the book, so I stopped doing them -- admittedly, it is also difficult to create a practice drill when the course grows in complexity. So I sympathize with that. It wasn't an issue because the content becomes more conceptual than practice. Conclusion: I'm grateful for this book because the drills have built a good foundation in me. And from here, I feel much more prepared than I would have been without the drills, to go onto more sophisticated HTML books.

I am an older guy that decided that I wanted to learn coding and get a basic understanding of Web Development. I use a computer but I am not a real "computer guy". I bought a couple of books to help get me started. I struggled at the beginning. I then came across this book (A Smarter Way to Learn HTML & CSS). I bought the kindle version. I love this book. The other books I bought have been set aside. I may come back to them at some point but this one is getting my full attention right now. The chapters are very short. Usually no more that 3 pages or so. Each chapter builds on the one before it. What makes the book for me is the interactive online tests that come with each chapter. They give you a real opportunity to see what you know. They also help to solidify that knowledge. Many times when I began a test for a particular chapter I wasn't sure if I had the concept down but by the time the test was completed I had it down. You can always go back to previous tests to make sure that you hold onto that information. Now understand that the tests can be a challenge and can be a little frustrating. You have to code the way the author does on the test and sometimes you have to do it just right. But that is alright by me. I'm learning and it is fun. I am grateful for the time and effort that Mr. Myers put in to making the online tests. I am planning on buying the books for Javascript and JQuery. I hope there will be more books like this to follow. Thank you Mr. Myers.

Mr. Meyer has produced a very good book and learning experience. It is divided into 90 short--often only one or two page--lessons covering the basics of creating a webpage. After reading the lesson, you code your own local text files, and then display your practice webpage in your browser. But the most unusual thing about the book is that each lesson has an online test you take to help you nail down the topic. The tests aren't hard, but Mr. Meyer is very picky with how your answers are entered, stressing the importance of strict syntax and good coding practices, and I found myself frequently frustrated when I made a typo or misunderstood a question and failed it. However, no harm no foul, you are given as many repeat tries as you need until you finally get it right. In that respect, working through the exams is very much like coding. Most coding errors in my experience are typos. I can't tell you how often I've written "left-margin:" instead of "margin-left:", and then pulled my hair out trying to figure out why my margins weren't changed. It's not a large book, but it took me nearly two months to work through it, because of the frustration I experienced doing the exams. I don't mean that as a criticism of the book, it says more about me than the book, I'm sure. At 90 lessons, if you do two a day (which was my norm), it will take you at least a month and a half to finish. At the end of every test, you have the opportunity to submit a form to Mr. Meyer if you've found any mistakes or misprints, etc., in the book or the online exam, and you can make suggestions to him there as well. To his credit, he responded to every post I sent him. I wish that feature were incorporated in other programming books. I have also purchased his two other works: one on Javascript and the other on jQuery. They're next to do on my calendar. If there is one thing I found super annoying about this book, it is the binding which absolutely refused to lie flat on the desktop as I was entering code into my practice files. I think a spiral binding would be a godsend, but that's a small quibble really, and for all I know too expensive to be practical. One last note: I'm not a newbie, I've created a dozen or so websites for myself and for non-profit organizations I've been active in, but I still learned many things in this book. I wouldn't consider for beginners only. Woops! One more thing. I usually buy cheat sheets for languages to keep on my desktop and look up tags and commands I will otherwise mix up. I think this book is small enough, and the table of contents will take you quickly to a given task and provide sample code for you along with an explanation. I doubt anyone will need a cheat sheet for the basics if they purchase this book.

I am a brand newbie to learning to code. I did the free beginning HTML and CSS classes on codecademy and udacity, and read the John Duckett book before I came across this... I am more than halfway through this book and it is clear that this is the best way to teach myself (and be most likely to remember) the basics. It is taking me a long time (because life and full time job) but I do a few lessons (1-2 pages) and then the practice activities every day or so. Each lesson gives a simple task to code for your own webpage (e.g. create a text box) and then each lesson also has a practice section of 20 questions on the accompanying website to practice writing the code. Doing the exercises makes it really clear how something that can seem so simple is not really in your brain until you have to write it out without looking at the book page. I am impressed that I remember code from earlier chapters months later BECAUSE I PRACTICED IT. I'm only a noob, but I highly recommend based on psychology/learning principles.

Programmed learning is an excellent format for a coding primer like this one, and for the first three chapters of this book there is a a good match between the book and the online exercises. At Chapter 4, which is on Specifying Fonts, the correlation comes apart, and the questions online refer to topics not covered in the book or anywhere else. It may clear up, I don't know, but it stopped me dead. This isn't the only example of this approach I've run into, but programmed instruction it aint. It isn't clear whether the author has done it deliberately, or has simply missed the boat. I know that sometimes this is deliberate-the author poses questions for which the student is completely unprepared-on the assumption that "They will figure it out somehow". If that's the author's philosophy, he needs to wise up and quit wasting our time.

Mike Myers is a talented teacher and I recommend his books if you want to learn a programming language he has available. I have also worked through his Python book of which really helped me learn and go through my college projects! IMPORTANT NOTE: though the book gives you the basics and a great foundation to start off of, realize it doesn't teach you "everything." New stuff comes up fast in the real world, so modern aspects like CSS flexbox, section/article tags, and a few other things may need you to do some outside researching (w3 schools and MDN are good ones), but if you finished the book, you should be able to pick it up and learn it easily! (most of these things you may find were made to make your life easier in coding anyway!)

As someone who has aspired to learn coding for (decades) a long time, I really enjoy this authors approach. The chapters are mercifully brief, introducing a concept and method and then you practice it. Personally, when I resume the lessons, I will retake the two previous test to be sure I retained the information, and to refresh my recollection as I progress. I have completed this book and am working on jQuery, but I still pull up random chapter test to keep the material fresh. If I had to give a con, it is that sometimes the author uses circuitous language in the test questions to keep from giving the answer away. No big thing.

(UPDATES BELOW) 1) Very frustrating. Entirely dependent on functionality of the website. If that doesn't work, you're dead in the water. Sent link to two other people to be sure. (yes, the url is correct) Going to get a refund on BOTH books this doesn't get resolved soon (also got the JavaScript book). 2) UPDATE: This problem was fixed within an hour, but a day later there's another problem: When you go back to questions you got wrong, and click "Advance to next exercise," your work just disappears, and you're stuck on that page. Get your ish together, Mark! 3) Incorrect coding. In Chapter 63, it tells you that "float" enables you to put elements side-by-side, but when I write the code exactly how it is in the chapter, it doesn't work.

This book is more about brute force learning, not sure this is the smarter way. Not for me at least. I don't know, I am OK learning vocabulary lists when learning languages, but when it comes to learning programming, I don't see the point. I think I will give up this book at chapter 10, this is too tedious and slow, and I am moving faster with codecademy or other books (I am currently reading "Learn CSS in one day" and this is a good read so far). The idea to build "my-smarter-site" at the beginning was good, but the author does not follow up on this. Bottom line, if you like to learn by repeating things a lot, this is a nice book. But if you like to learn by doing projects, this is not the book for you.

Much the same as Codecademy makes one type in things to get actual practice coding, following this book requires the same practice. I'm often one of those impatient folks who tries things once and then moves on to the next topic. Mark does a nice job of - if you follow his prescription - reinforcing each lesson as you go. I'm only two chapters in and most of the content has been review. That said, I appreciate the fact that I'm going through, as prescribed, and using his method to reinforce my learning. I've learned to code C, C++, Python, R, Visual Basic, and FORTRAN... but not of them at what I would call an "extremely familiar" level. I plan on following Mark's book(s) -I have the Javascript and jQuery books, too) to finally teach myself to build a website from a non WYSIWYG approach (remember FrontPage, anyone?). I'll be looking for a Python edition of his books, too. Thanks, Mark!

If you are coming to this subject as a beginner, this will be a good starting point and I would recommend it for that. Since the title indicates it is to Learn HTML & CSS, I take that to mean it is for beginners and have rated it well for that reason. I was not and am not a beginner, probably more intermediate level, but needed a refresher as I'd been away from it for a while, so I did not find it useful from that perspective. If you are a beginner, this is a good starting point. If you have any experience at all with HTML and Javascript, you should choose a book more targeted to specifics. Other reviews said the same thing, I ignored them and will now say that they are correct.

If you want to start building a website on your hosted server within 2 minutes, this is a great place to start. You can work through this book very quickly and it's broken up into many small chapters which is ideal if you have ADHD or want to reclaim those 5 minute chunks of time otherwise wasted in line or on the can. What it doesn't offer is any depth into things like site security so I'd recommend you know how to secure your site before going live. Otherwise its like being spoon fed everything you need to get started in CSS.

You read a chapter which is usually 1 maybe 1 & 1/2 pages long, large easy to read and understand text. Then you go online to a page, the author "Mark Myers" has created, which is a list of Chapter exercises. You pick the Chapter you just read and you go through 20 exercises which are focused on the information you just read. You can repeat it as often as you want. That's it. By reading the chapter then immediately practicing the free exercises, it's amazing how easy it is to learn and remember something that seems so complicated. I have purchased a ton of other books which made learning HTML & CSS extremely difficult. I even bought Dreamweaver thinking it would make learning to code my own website fun and easy, it didn't!!! I had almost given up and decided to just use a free online template, which is never free, they stick so much advertising in their code that you end up giving them free advertising by using their template. Thankfully I found Mark Myers book and his approach to learning HTML/CSS is fantastic. If you're really interested in learning to code your very own website this is by far the easiest way to do it. Start with this book first, you'll be coding in no time flat.

This is the #1 book for all students to get for learning HTML and CSS. I'm not new to the game and have gone through many books and this is by far the best book for learning HTML and CSS. As I say, too many authors 'Write once and edit none.' and Mark Myers does the exact opposite, breaking down the learning process to easy bit-sized bits and making it really easy to learn. Even if you are in a class with a teacher or about to take a class, get this book and you will be miles ahead of the other students. I've been in the game for a while, but I was "cheating" because I was stuck back in HTML 4 and CSS 2 and we are now in HTML5 and CSS 3. This book also is a GREAT reference book. If you forget some of the code, Mark makes it real easy to find the correct code to use. I give this book the highest ratings of all book I have gone through leaning web design and development. This book is really inexpensive for what it give you, along with the free coding exercises. . This book was sent from heaven by an angel Mark Meyers. You snooze, you lose. Now, wake up and get this book before you get any other book on HTML or CSS. It was written to make you a totally successful champion of HTML and CSS. It's been said in business if you want to be a successful you go to the mentors who can take you there, Mark is one of those champions.

This is an excellent book for beginners to start HTML and CSS coding. The author provides access to a great coding tool which quickly shows you what the results of your coding efforts are (this allows you to experiment with code to improve your understanding). Chapters and lessons are very short, which helps build your skill with each new command. The author builds on those skills with each chapter. I haven’t finished yet, but will update the review when I complete it. 6/25/2018

This book is absolutely fantastic. There is no way you could read an HTML book and learn it without putting it into practice. With this book, it's broken into 1-3 page chapters; you have a working document that you add to as you progress; and each chapter has 20 exercises on another website for you to complete. I'm learning this extremely quickly, and the way you learn and practice really makes the info stick. Can't wait to start Mark's JavaScript book next!

I just finished the book today and from a perspective of someone who started from scratch, this book really helped me to learn how to code, but much more it also helped me to -understand- what I code. The focus of the book is more practical (plenty of exercises), but the author doesn't shy away to describe first the tags: why you use them and when to use them. If you feel on some point in the book, there might be something missing, just move on and soon you will find out, he will provide you the answer. Personally, I find this a fantastic book to learn HTML and CSS. In comparison with the online coding websites which I tried first, this book is way better. The author wrote it from a perspective of a total newbie, step by step until (like in my case today) you "graduate". Buy it if you want to learn and understand HTML and CSS! If I was able to do it, so can you!

I'm giving this book a 4 star review right now, as I'm still working through it, I will change the stars upon completion based on how well I felt it taught me what I was doing. So far (11 chapters in) I have really enjoyed it. I own two other books on the subject (the HTML&CSS book by Duckett and Learning Web Design by Robbins) and I find myself using Myers's book more often. Ducketts is really good, but it doesn't really offer any sort of practice, so it will make great reference material, but maybe not a learn to write html book. Robbins's book is excellent, offers projects in each chapter, and goes into a lot of detail in how to write tags and elements, and I highly recommend it. I plan on finishing it either along side or after Myers... but I'm here to write a review for Myers. I really like how quick the chapters go by, granted they only cover one or two things, but trying to learn html and css around two jobs it is handy. I also really enjoy how there's practice in the chapter that you can write in a text editor as well as the only practice. It has done a decent enough job making you recall things from previous chapters as well as making you practice the new material learned. I feel as though I'm picking up more than I would have from the other two books in less time. If this feeling stays with me throughout the book and I finish it able to write a decent webpage, I'll raise my review to 5 stars.

This book is such a great resource! I started learning on a free website but got disinterested in their approach. Then I found this book and immediately switched. The author does a great job explaining why and how to code and style. Then at the end of each chapter there are 20 questions/problems to solve based upon what you've learned. It really helps you to retain the material! My favorite part is the final two exercises when you go to a coding website and then can really play around with your coding. If you are considering html & css I highly recommend you start with this book. You just can't beat the price for what you get.

So far so good. The reviews are on point. I’m starting a software developer bootcamp in one month and I need to understand the basics/fundamentals of web development prior to the start date. I wanted to review this book first before I purchased JavaScript and now I certainly will. The instructions are super clear and easy to understand (which I REALLY needed). I’m a true beginner so I needed something to support that . Great start for sure!

Love this book. Great book for beginners. if you want to learn to code and retain the information, this book is for you. I am 61 and had never coded before. The author teaches with repetition and testing. It couldn't be more perfect. I am going through the book one more time to master all information and then will proceed to his Javascript book next. Thank you for writing such a thorough learning tool.

I used to know how to code HTML and CSS but haven't used them for some time so I've decided to relearn them. And since I now live in Israel and no longer have Barnes and Noble at my disposal, the easiest way for me t get books is through the Kindle app. I found this book and prior to trying the exercises, I read it from cover to cover. The instructions are clear and concise. I've now begun the exercises from the beginning and so far, so good.

What I love the most is the way one new concept is gently/organically introduced like a leaf on a branch of a tree. Repetition and practice with the exercises felt just right; not too tiring but enough to have me learn and transition something from short-term to long-term memory. I've taught Chess to kids for a few years and I adopted a very similar idea of an accelerated feedback loop to ensure that the material would stick. Quite fantastic to see this approach to learning technology at a brisk pace.

I'm no a complete beginner, but I am scrupulously going through this book. Even the chapters I know theoretically, but can't put to work without thinking or even looking up in Google. Explanations are good, but best thing about this book is exercises. They may be boring, but they force you to practice until you are fluid with subject.

This is a great way to learn if you find it difficult to lear from books. Mark has created an interactive learning system where the book is just the way you navigate the system. The Kindle version allows you to easily click hypertext links if you use the Kindle reader app on a Mac or PC - it takes you straight to the interactive quiz's. At the same time sample HTML code and CSS are provided for you to compare your own files against. I've compared this to online courses like those from Udacity and this beats them hands-down. You can set your own pace, so if you are brushing up on old skills like me you can skip ahead and test your knowledge, find out where you're weakest, and dive in there. The short learn-and-try style greatly improves your ability to remember what you re learning. And Mark takes his time to explain things in plain English so you don't feel like a dunce for not knowing all the jargon of coding.

This book and it's additional free online content provide an excellent introduction to basic HTML and CSS. The reader is not assumed to have any previous coding experience but it does assume that they have a contemporary familiarity with computers and the Internet. There are lots of examples which are incrementally refined of a couple of sections, so the new material is present gradually for long term retention. I wish this author wrote academic textbooks.

It is a new way to read/practice/absorb new knowledge. It takes a little time to adjust, but it is just a matter of time to adjust. It is fun and challenging. Nothing is hard to do or understand, but it is challenging. You will find you often have to go back and repeat an exercise in order to get it right. For me, it is usually a misreading of the question that causes me to get it wrong. It is teaching me patience and attention to detail while teaching me HTML& CSS. I will most likely follow up with the books on JavaScript and JQuery.

lThis book, more than anything else I have tried (to include treehouse and other book series) has launched me into the work of code. What it has done is it has moved me past the steep learning curve that comes with programming. The method used, which is concentrating on one individual topic at a time, and then asking the same questions about that one topic in 20 different ways is very effective in learning the basics. I have found that I can return to other resources for learning that I had previously given up on, and I can continue ahead on more advanced topics because of what this book has done to get me past the initial learning curve.

The is book is the best of the best! I learned a ton about JavaScript from Mark's first book and I loved the exercise driven learning style. When I saw that Mark had written a second book about HTML and CSS you'd bet that I want the second book too! I'd been struggling with CSS and I was also debating with myself about purchasing a plug in to embed Vimeo videos--and I loved the solution that Mark had in the book! I'm circling back to the CSS chapters, and I'm actually learning and retaining CSS info this time around :) Overall, this book covers all of the essential topics you need to know to get started on building your very own website!

I have been using this book and two others from the same author almost continuously for the few days. It has been life changing. The approach of reading a little bit of new information and then practicing it has helped me more than any other approach I have ever tried. The information is given in such small pieces that you master everything before moving on to the next thing. It is almost painless and you get this great feeling of satisfaction as you go along and return to things that you have already learned and experience this sense of mastery. I wish there were more coding languages you could learn with this method. One thing that stands out to me in addition to the study-practice approach is that the explanations in the book are really informative. I have tried learning bits and pieces of html and css as I went along using python for data science and have found the explanation to things that had puzzled me for years. I have found myself experimenting on my own a lot while doing this book. I feel that a lot of the things that I have tried before were really a waste of time after using this method. I have bought the physical book for JavaScript but have used the kindle books for the HTML and the jQuery books. I usually like to have the actual paper back book to work with and go over but I find that with this method the kindle version really makes a lot more sense. You go from a couple of pages of text right to the exercises and having it all on the computer actually makes it easier than having the physical text. I just hope that Mark comes out with more of these soon.

I never wrote a review before so this is the first because it deserves one. This is the best book I ever read. Why? It is easy to follow through the exercises and it is a great refresher for someone who dabbled with HTML and CSS before. A book is never perfect for someone who already knows and teaches programming. But this book is still a must have for anyone who wants to start on front end development, then buy another book that is more advanced so you can take the basic fundamentals from this book and implement new knowledge from the advanced book in HTML and CSS. The exercises are well structured, easy to understand and easy to remember because of repetition he implemented on each exercise. To me, repetition is key to learn and making that knowledge stick. There are people who are a slow learner and this is a great starter for them. For someone who is a quick learner, this will be an advantage to them. To make this book work, I suggest create a spreadsheet and allocate the time you will dedicate to read and go through the exercises. A new HABIT is what you need to make sure this is worth every dollar you spend on this book. Another note: He also personally writes to you once you sign up and recommend you other sources of where to go to or books that he highly recommended if you ever get stuck. OVERALL: VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! For an author who writes a book, he actually responds if you write to him!

Best way to eat a HTML-CSS elephant? little bites daily. Buy the book, read a chapter in less than 5 minutes, go on line and use what you have learned in each chapter, as soon as you are finished with the chapter. It's all set up for you, easy!. Also, use the book later for a quick reference, to remind yourself that you have already done this, and this is how you did it. This is fundamental HTML-CSS, the foundation of all the coolest stuff the web has to offer. From first setting up a text editor to creating a web site with up to date valuable functionality like responsive media queries and YouTube video insertion, this book walks you through each step of the process, explains why, and helps you build a page so will remember how to do it again and again.

I have been a Software Engineer for almost 30 years, using COBOL, Fortran and C. After the system that I "grew up" on was put to rest, I had to learn new technologies and languages to be able to continue to compete in the workforce. I didn't have time to learn the traditional (college) way an couldn't afford the 5-day crunch courses that can cost up to $2000 each, so I looked for a solution. I saw the high reviews on this line of books and took the chance ordering JavaScript and HTML & CSS. Wow! What an impressive way to learn and retain the information. After just 2 weeks of using the JavaScript and another 2 weeks of HTML & CSS, I feel confident on moving towards these types of job offerings. I have also emailed Mark when I found issues or had questions and he was quick to respond and gave information to help me continue. I HIGHLY recommend these books for all levels of programmers!

This book is great, it simplifies each little bit of information that you need to have a basic understanding of HTML and CSS. I started out using an online interactive course to get a foundation, but it left many gaps and questions about the subject. I enjoyed the interactive exercises, and I did them several times just to cement the concept in my head.This is a different approach to teaching this subject and I am happy with the book I purchased. I look forward to purchasing others as I further advance in my studies in Web design.

A good book but not quite my learning style. Pros: Good introduction to HTML & CSS. First exposure to a lot of new concepts. Cons: The order of presentation of some information did not make sense to me (Comments were one of the last subjects addressed). The order of presented information did not seem logical to me. Notes: I think my problems with this book was just a mismatch with the teaching style. I find myself having to leaf around a lot to reference something I went over and need to use.

The greatest aspect of this book is that not only do you get clear and concise directions on how to code in html, the author also includes interactive exercises that solidify your foundation!!! That is so necessary to really any process-style book you read but this author makes it a priority which is absolutely amazing! His interactive website includes so many different methods of learning it's almost unreal that he's selling his book for the price that it is, you can tell he's spent some serious time on not only the book but also the website of his exercises, which really tells me he cares a lot about your growth and development as a programmer!! Best Amazon purchase I've ever made hands down.

I have been designing web pages since the mid-90s, before CSS was around. I felt very comfortable with HTML, but wanted a way to understand and master cascading style sheets, and incorporate that into my HTML abilities. This eBook has exceeded my expectations. I really like the way he explains CSS concepts, then has the reader immediately add those new features to a stylesheet and see the effects of those concepts in a browser. Well worth the very reasonable price. I finished the first 20 chapters in one sitting, then forced myself to take a break. Well worth the very reasonable price.

This book claims to be able to teach fast and you will retain better. Well that is exactly what it is delivering. I have used some CSS before without understanding the basics behind it. It worked for me then so I've become good at copying it onto my work. Now I have spent 2 days and I understand so much more than I ever did in my years of website maintenance etc. Wished I'd have found this book earlier.

The best book for learning CSS and HTML period. I have tried other books in addition to sites like codeacademy.com, none can compare to the quality of teaching Mark Myers provides. Where other books fall short in the task of creating exercises and explanations which are easy to understand and stick in your brain, Mark Myers triumphs. Its the combination of how beginner friendly the way the book is written and how the exercises are extremely well thought out in their delivery and design which really makes this book stand out from the rest. I highly recommend it, if you want to learn HTML/CSS, buy this book! you won't regret it!

I love this book with online exercises now. I originally went through half the material skipping the online exercises. I decided to return to the beginning and do the online exercises. It turned out to be awesome. I now remember very much all the material, and have a lot of practice at typing the code. If you are interested in really learning please do not skip the online exercises. They are tedious, but only intended to help you learn to code like a pro.

This book’s lessons that go along with the text are only for use on a desktop machine. It doesn’t work with a tablet or phone, iOS or Android. Had I know that, I would have chosen another book.

I am taking a class in HTML/CSS programming as part of my degree plan. I was having a hard time learning the code from my instructor and the text book so I ordered Mark Myers book, "A Smarter Way to Learn HTML & CSS" to supplement my class. The manner in which he ties html with the counterpart in css has greatly improved my understanding and retention of the programming language. The online interactive quizzes for each chapter are the "icing on the cake" for insuring full understanding of each lesson. If you want an easy way to get into Web page development, this book is a great place to start.

I went through the whole book. What a delight. It's maybe a little dated since it isn't HTML5 & CSS3, but don't let that stop you. The bite sized lessons will empower you and answer questions you may have along the way. The author breaks things down so well. And he anticipates questions, telling a reader that a later chapter covers what that reader might be wondering in an earlier lesson. I can't remember when I've gone through an entire book on coding and doing all the exercises. Key is to do the free online exercises after reading a chapter. They drive home the point and build muscle memory by doing them. Don't let the "non-design" cover turn you off. This is amazing stuff!

The method employed by this author to teach the subject is quite effective. By having you do a quiz at the end of the chapter through his web links, and writing code through other testing, you end up retaining the information. I have five or six books on this subject and this one is by far the most effective in teaching the material.

I was introduced to this series when I bought the author's manuals on JavaScript and jQuery, which are used as texts for a college course I'm taking. Those are so good I had to get this one too.

I am 3/4 through this book and love the presentation. One topic is covered in a page or two and then you modify your own code to incorporate the new topic. You then follow up by visiting a link to his web site for that chapter's exercises and questions. I purchased the Kindle version and read it on one monitor of my pc while working on another monitor, so I can just click on the link in the Kindle reader to go to the appropriate chapter's exercises. Each chapter's exercises start with a basic fill-in-the-blank, then gradually have you type more of the actual code in context, and ending with code actually running in a sort of sandbox on the website. Occasionally there will be questions that have you recall and incorporate previous topics with the current topic which helps cement the knowledge.

This book is clear and simple. I am learning by a bit of reading, a lot of doing, and chunk of repetition. So, in other words, by osmosis...which is probably how all learning should work. Reminds me a bit of the Pimsleur language learning method. I _think_ I found a couple of tiny errors in the Kindle edition. The author or his team were quick to respond that they'd look into it. Inspired teaching and great student interaction...doesn't get any better than that.

I found this book to be a very enjoyable experience for someone who has never really done much with HTML in the past. The text is laid out so it's very easy to understand and retain the information that you are reading. When you couple this with all of the online quizzes and constant reinforcement of the information that you are learning the author makes it really hard to forget anything, even if you take a day off from the book. PROS Easy to follow and understand. A unique blend of reading and hands on learning. In depth description of each and every piece of code you learn. Constant reinforcement using online quizzes that come with the book, you learn a new concept and then immediately put it to work for you. On page examples of what your code should look like when your done, along with links to different coding using the same concepts. CONS The only Con I can think of is that if you are looking for something to steam roll through in a couple hours then this is not the book for you. It is very detailed and tailored to the absolute beginner. So if you have prior experience in HTML you might find yourself a little bored with slower pace. In closing I really can't recommend this book more for someone just starting out to learn HTML and CSS (I didn't even know what CSS was until I picked up this book). It really caters to those of us out there wanting to get started with websites and design using HTML and CSS. And for the price, you just can't beat the learning approach that it takes with a combination of text and online hands on practice.

I'm learning coding through this book as very much a non-techie. It's working, and it explains things I have not entirely figured out through 4 online schools. It goes fast though and really cements things in your head you thought you knew. I do recommend this book! I've realized you may think you know coding because you can read it, but until you can recall it on your own and write it, you don't know it. The exercises are different than those you'd find in the online schools, and effective.

I am learning and becoming certified in scrum so want to learn more to help the team. This book makes html and css seem easy to learn and not overwhelming even for those like me learning later in life. I love the short chapters and the interactive exercises that right away reinforce what you just learned. I also like that you can do short spurts or 30 minutes or so at a time on your own schedule to learn it. I work full time and have a husband and two children so this makes it easier to fit in my schedule.

I went to the website and I couldn't type anything in. I used Firefox, Explorer and Chrome. The page refused to let me edit anything. Help!

The book and the exercises have been extremely helpful. After programming on the IBM midrange for 15 years and for one year in VB.NET, I was assigned to do web development. Although I had had a class in HTML/CSS two years earlier, I needed to get up to speed fast. I didn't know where to start as far as review and new learning. Then I found this book. At first, I got annoyed when I got an answer wrong and had to repeat the exercise. But I just kept working through it, chapter by chapter and exercise by exercise. Now that I have completed the book and the exercises, I think I have a good foundation in the building blocks of HTML and CSS, and I will work through the companion Javascript book. This book is also an excellent reference book.

Excellent book to get started quickly and gain confidence rapidly. The format is ideal for a busy person looking to do a few lessons in their spare time. The online exercises (FREE!) are very good, too. I think the improvements to the HTML/CSS book's online exercises are a big usability improvement (the exercises for the JavaScript book tended to be a little too picky with respect to typos and the ability to easily navigate back to a previous question). I hope this series expands to other current languages. Would love to see a jQuery book, a Ruby book, a Bootstrap book, a Python book... etc.

I am a slow learner, however when I retain something, i keep it for life. This book is great for people like me. This is my second "Smarter way to learn" book. I love the Javascript version as well. The goal is to retain the data and make it second nature. Before starting a new section I go through the exercises of the previous three sections first. For instance, before starting to read section/chapter 10, I go through the exercises of sections 7, 8, and 9 to keep things fresh and really pound the data into my head. As a result, I go through all exercises at least four times. A little time consuming but you will have NO REGRETS with this method. My employer expects me to quickly retrieve this info contrary to looking it up in a book.

I am not very good at writing so I generally avoid writing reviews but this author has discovered a way to teach that fits my capabilities to a tee. The subject matter is broken down to the lowest common denominator and presented without adding a lot of "fluff". I highly recommend taking the tests seriously. At first I thought the tests were boring but then I realized I was retaining the subject matter if I took them seriously. I would highly recommend this series of books. I have bought them all. I would like to see the series expanded to PHP and MySQL (or mariaDB).

Hands-down the best way to lean to code. Takes about 40hours to complete. I've tried Lynda, Udemy, CodeAcademy and Coursera- with those you will copy an instructor and walk away with a finished product that you have no idea how to reproduce. I personally need to drill exercises to make the syntax second-nature, and only then I can think about what I'm working on at a conceptual level. A+!

Mark Myers' method of getting what can be--at times--difficult information into a format that makes it exponentially easier to consume, truly understand, and synthesize into real-world application is beyond anything I've encountered before. For several years I have taught instructor-led training (ILT) adult learners technical topics such as Microsoft networking (MSCE, MSCA, MCT, A+, Network+, Security+, etc.), Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) course, among others. Conveying dense technical information in a classroom setting can be difficult; to do so via textbook is significantly more difficult. Mr. Myers has achieved an incredible feat! Thank you for your efforts and the resulting products Mr. Myers!

I have taken several programming courses at the university level and found this book to be a great introduction to HTML and CSS. It doesn't go into too much detail, but this makes the material much more accessible to those learning CSS/HTML on their own. I liked the exercises at the end of the chapters. The online exercises were another method of reinforcing the material, but they were tedious and I did not complete all of them. I would recommend this book for those looking for a basic introduction tho HTML and CSS. After reading this book and doing the exercises at the end of the chapters, I create my own website.

This is the second book I read from "A Smarter Way To Learn" series. the first was Python. Its like magic, you go through the chapters and effortlessly find yourself mastering the basics of the language. After finishing reading and doing the exercises I do another round doing the exercises and revising the highlighted notes. Great method

Excellent way to learn the basics of HTML and CSS. Mark's way of teaching and online questions is an excellent approach to challenging and advancing your learning capabilities. His approach is very easy to understand and grasp. Chapter after chapter the lessons build upon each other and the student begins to connect thing together simply. He uses online demonstrations and examples which are very helpful. I had purchase A Smarter Way to Learn Java Script first and then realize I needed to brush up on HTML and CSS. Mark has made my learning experience very productive, more so than the top rated authors. Thank you Mark for your type of productive teaching, and yielding a highly competent result.

A have tried different ways to learn HTML and CSS including a General Assemb.ly online course. I always found that the approach wasn't very organized and that there were too few opportunities to apply what you have learned. This book provides good and understandable explanations and for each chapter an opportunity to apply what you have learned in exercises. I found this combination very useful and was able to start coding my own website.

I'm interested in learning how to code and stumbled across Mark Myer's 'A Smarter Way to Learn' books, including this one, 'A Smarter Way to Learn HTML & CSS'. I am amazed at the success I'm having with this method. I am retaining information like I've never done before. I highly recommend this learning series!

Great book on the fundamentals of coding. The lessons are short and detailed enough to provide a good understanding of the subject. The follow up exercises solidify what is covered in each chapter. I will definitely watch for more coding books from Mark Myers!

I recently bought this book on Kindle as an introduction to coding. I'm only a few days into reading it and working through the exercises, but what Mark has done here has really worked wonders for me so far. I began reading this with zero experience in coding, and even though I'm just getting started with book, it has made me confident enough to want to continue teaching myself how to code.

Well it took me almost two months to get through each and every example and test but I got through it and I would say I have retained more syntax then reading any other coding book before. This is definitely the way to learn and retrain css and html. Now I will have to get the Java Script book next.

I'm new to learning coding. Like many people I have struggled in my self studies in this endeavor. This book breaks the materials into easy to comprehend chapters. Furthermore, there are interactive quizzes at the end of each chapter. I can say that I have a better and clearer understanding of HTML and CSS before I read this book. It is very inexpensive and I highly recommend it!

I am using Mark Myers' books as a supplement to freecodecamp's curriculum, and am finding the additional support to be very helpful in my quest to learn how to program. While the exercises can feel tedious, I find that I am able to recall the information very well, even after some time away from practice. Definitely read the 'How To Use This Book' chapter, and stick to it...2 hours straight is a great way to fry the brain.

this book was recommended to me as a way to prepare for the six-month coding bootcamp that i will be attending. i was starting to go down a negative path, thinking i just didn't get it after i tried learning through an online course that i paid for. i now know that they were throwing too much information at me at once and it was making me feel inadequate, when it was actually their poor teaching methods. mark's book is exactly what i needed. bits of information are fed to you which you then practice through a series of exercises. you can feel, when you are doing them, that the repetition is helping wire your brain to remember everything. there is no possibility of feeling overwhelmed, as the bits of new knowledge are introduced in a graded fashion. i used to teach english as a second language, and was a bad teacher for a while, until i realized the importance of feeding the student portions of knowledge that are small enough to digest, and then, most importantly, ELICITING language from them that you have just taught them. this is exactly what mark does with the exercises. i am grateful that this book was recommended to me and i plan to move on to "a smarter way to learn javascript" when i am done with this one. i hope he writes more for other coding languages.

I bought the JavaScript version of this book and liked it so much I bought this. The online exercises are great. I'll probably buy the JQuery version soon. By the way, I'm a seasoned programmer who has avoided JavaScript and HTML for ages and these books are getting me up to speed really fast.

I am not the type who regulary writes reviews about the books he reads. This is my second HTML/CSS book after finishing the "famous" one. Through the end of this book during the quizes I've realized that I am typing bunch of stuff that I've learned 10 minutes ago just through my short-term memory. You will not be an overnight web developer success story, but I guarantee that you will start on the right foot if you keep practicing daily and doing complicated projects after finishing this one.

Great book. I enjoy the short reading then practicing and I like the way the practices work. I tried other interactive sites but this one works for me. I don't enjoy the timed excercises as much but I think they are very useful and they cause you to try to work under pressure, which is good. All in all I'd say you have a winner here. Good work!!

I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to "self-teach" my way through web development. I am currently in a bootcamp, which moves through the material at a brisk pace, and felt that I needed a set of books that would pound the basics of HTML, CSS and Javascript into my being. It is very difficult to find utterly "rookie" level examples to use as repetitions. In A SMARTER WAY TO LEARN books, I have found the repetitions that I need to succeed. If you want a systematic, thorough, detailed path to build your coding mental muscles, order these books, read the chapters and do the exercises exactly how Mark instructs.

I'm not an HTML and CSS beginner. I manage my own static website out of many years of teaching myself through watching and reading free resources online. I thought it was time to transition to Javascript so I could make my webpages more dynamic so I bought the Mark Myers' other book, A Smarter Way to Learn Javascript. The book suggested to read A Smarter Way to Learn HTML and CSS first. At first, I thought, "Nah, I know this stuff already." However, impressed with how the Javascript book was structured (you read a short chapter and then you answer a set of chapter questions online that explains thoroughly why you made a mistake and such instead of scratching your head wondering where you went wrong), I thought to buy this book to challenge my HTML and CSS "expertise", and man, I was no expert at all! Nothing beats structured learning and having someone explain to you how things work. I wish I found this book earlier. I could have learned faster and more efficiently instead of figuring HTML and CSS on my own. Recommended to beginners and self-taught coders who want to test their understanding of the language.

Mr. Myers is one smart fellow. He has to be to take this subject and make it comprehensible for me. True, I am a recent convert. I'd looked through the online options for learning coding. Even the beginners level classes seemed to assume the student had some background knowledge. This is not true for "A Smarter Way to Learn HTML & CSS." Mark Myers is true to his title's promise. He understands the beginners mind. He explains clearly, defines terms precisely, and with a deft bit of wit and humor sprinkled though out. I especially like his tactics for maximizing learning w/o burning-out: ten minutes of study, followed by 20 minutes of online quizzing. And then take a well-deserved break: walk, pat the dog, take care of other business. Maybe go through it again later in the day, either with new material, or simply refreshing the old. This is good stuff. I can not believe this book was so inexpensive...yet so full of practical information. This book deserves a place on every beginning coder's library. As Hemingway might have put it "this is the true gin." This book should be flying off the shelves like his Java book.

This book offers very good value for your money, if you are a beginner in CSS and HTML. It has: - short chapters, it is easy to follow, starting from simple to complex information; - accesible writing style, easy to understand; - examples to illustrate the information; - interactive exercises that help you recall the info and practice your skills; - a solid method of learning that really helps your efforts; I am looking forward to see the Advanced Course in HTML and CSS with Exercises. Very happy that I made this purchase, hoping to learn more.

I loved how this book broke down HTML and CSS. Each lesson was short and to the point, covering just enough information. Then, doing the exercises helped reinforce what I just learned. It's a brilliant system. I have used other coding websites like Codecademy and FreeCodeCamp. Even though the info is a bit dated now, it really helped drill the basics into my brain. So, if you are just starting out or fairly new to coding, this is where to start!

Outstanding book/program. No better way to learn this material. I only wish that the author would spend some more time polishing the online Q&A. Everything's there, but it needs a little more love, e.g., does an answer have to be counted as wrong if you forget to enter two spaces at the beginning of the second line in a style definition?

This is the third of his books I have used--Python and JavaScript before. The size of his lessons is perfect, and the online exercises just the right level of difficulty. Only problems are a few random errors in the way the software evaluates the answers.

I've always considered learning HTML and CSS to be boring and so have avoided it. But I need to develop a web page and I liked the title of the book. This is a great way to learn a tedious subject. And the constant reinforcement of seeing what I learn instantly in the browser keeps me interested. I got the Brackets HTML editor and like it alot. This whole approach to learning is excellent if sometimes repetitive (but that's part of what makes it work.) HIGHLY recommended.

Mark Myers must be a world class instructor to write a book like this. He guides you through exercises to make absolutely certain that you have absorbed the book material well and to reinforce what you have learned. You really will come away from this book feeling not just that you've read something purporting to offer some enlightenment, but you'll feel as if you've been in a great classroom with an instructor who really cares about making sure that the ideas stay with you long after you've completed the class.

Easy to follow after four chapters. I look forward to the following books in the series. It starts off with basic stuff and about 20 practice exercises per chapter online. I recommend

Though i explored the theory of learning, i never encountered such a book implemented the effective learning techniques. For learning a complicated topic such as programming, I found that I really enjoyed learning + practicing and the knowledge sticks to my memory! You should try it out and you could apply the same learning method to other topics as well.

Programming books can be stuff, didactic and hard to understand. I have read several that fit those descriptions, and they were newbie-friendly. This book, and Mark Myer's other book on Javascript, are broken into small chapters that explain one concept at a time. On top of that, they direct you to practice the knowledge you just read about in free problems on the author's website. I highly recommend this book, as the teaching method is on point and effective.

I have been trying to learn code for years. These Books Work! Do the exercises, read the book, do the exercises, read the book, and you will remember. It's kind of strange, no other books worked. Other books had much more information in them but not usable. Information with out application really do not work. The exercises create an application for what you are learning. Enjoy! I have:

Every chapter consists of 2-3 brief and visual pages, each ending with hands on exercises that you do on your own, as well as a "quiz" that progressively goes from testing your ability to recall what you read, leading to testing your ability to quickly code the actual HTML and CSS that you learned in the chapter. If practice makes perfect works for your self-learning, this is the book for you!

Thought I should update my review. I'd always given it 5/5 but that was early on in practice. I'm about halfway through the book now, and the author's method of instruction must be brilliant because I've gotten incredibly fluid with HTML/CSS syntax. I'll be picking up the entire series.

it is not the fault of the author if i have not mastered this thing. the online excersises is a great way to practice. would buy again similarly presented work.

I code for a living. Increasingly, it is imperative to be able to deal with a number of different languages and protocols. Mr. Myers books help me to get a solid foundation in a variety of topics. I have used his approach to learn javascript and am now taking the lessons in this book. I can enthusiastically endorse this book and lesson approach. The author breaks each topic into bite-size (or should I say byte-size?) chapters. Each chapter is followed with a formula of 20 web-based questions and mini-exercises to help solidify the material. As the course progresses, material from previous chapters is used repeatedly in the chapter tests so that the material remains fresh. I find this approach extremely effective, especially as it relates to learning the fundamentals. After completing the javascript course, I was working towards an exam in Mongo DB and I was able to put my new-found javascript knowledge to great use for that class.

Look at the curve of the reviews. Sign of Excellence. Buying this book is a no-brainer. I learn so much more, faster and better this way than in my dumb classes at school. Don't worry. Just trust me on this. BUY THE BOOK.

I've got some serious focus issues and it's not easy for me to get myself to maintain a solid reading session for very long at all...until now. I've always been a hands-on learner and just reading something makes it difficult for me to retain all the information. But the "straight-to-the-point", easy-understanding information, mixed with hands on exercises–exercises that challenge in a way that made me feel like I was playing a game–gives me such a feeling of accomplishment that I just get hooked on reading so I can get back to the fun coding exercises. I am actually pretty amazed at how much I look forward progressing in the book. I've never really felt this way about any educational book before, not like this. I just wish there were more books like this out there for other coding languages like PHP and MYSQL. I definitely recommend this book to those looking for a great learning experience, especially to those who struggle with the average educational read. Hears to hoping that Mark comes out with more books like this one for other languages. *fingers crossed*

I don't have the new car yet. But I'm able to actually build code and have fun with this book. I feel confident that I'll be able to write html, css, jquery and javascript in the future! Thank you sooo much!!

I love the bite sized chunks of information that the author provides. He makes the subject very easy to digest. The exercises really reinforce what you learn in each chapter. His method has really helped me understand and retain what I've learned, since teaching myself to code.

I have been familiar with HTML for decades , but never got real comfortable with CSS. This book gave me some good underpinnings of CSS. It was exactly what I needed.

Great exposure to HTML and CSS coding for a newbie with only self-taught (and poorly self-taught I might add...) coding wannabe. The plain language that is then quickly reinforced with the hands-on coding exercises works well to teach an old dog new tricks!

I've been using this off and on for a couple of weeks when I'm away from the house and don't want to carry a paperback. The format really helps learning because of the quizzes. I think it is a very good tool to supplement a real book, but I don't think I could learn HTML just from this. Of course, unless you are using a text editor and actually making pages, you won't get the full benefit, anyway. A Smarter Way to Learn HTML & CSS is definitely worth the download.

The book is written clearly, but the included exercises are where the teaching really shines. The repetition is so helpful for retaining the information and applying it. This is the fifth HTML "course" I've tested out and it's my favourite so far.

Excellent coding book. I went in knowing absolutely nothing about HTML & CSS. This book gave me all the tools I needed to start creating my own work. A must-have if you are a beginner!

I always wanted to learn to code but worried that it's too hard for me. Then I found A Smarter Way to Learn series. I decided to give it a try. After learning the first two chapters, I feel confident that I can do it. That's all because of the way the author teaches. Practice is the key.

I own many books on web design/programming and it just seems that the learning technique wasn't staying with me. After using Marks book and his approach on teaching the material along with the online testing, I've notice my retention for the subject matter is finally working! Not only do the exercises make learning fun, they reinforce the material right away so it sinks in deep, Do yourself a favor, save time and money and start your learning with Mr. Myers books!

This book has been a lifesaver. I wanted to create a good coding foundation before attending a coding boot camp and this book along with the FREE interactive exercises was just the ticket. I would also recommend his books JavaScript and jQuery.

I found these books looking for a system that suited my 13 year old son's expectations for self study. The combination of an e-book and online exercises met his expectations much better than the paper books I had been providing him. I have also used the books and found them very helpful.

I've always found that learning is easiest with a teacher but sometimes that isn't always an option. This book comes about as close as you can get to having an actual teacher, the lessons are short and concise and the exercises reiterate everything you learn through repetition. This repetition is not boring though, it's actually very engaging because the exercises differ in style and what's asked of you. I have a good feeling that this author has taught himself in numerous subjects.

I have only completed the first two chapters of reading and exercises, and already am a believer to the point that I just purchased two more of Mr Myer's books. This is the first book I have found that is laid out in such a way that it is actually fun and engaging to learn, not grueling. Thank You!

Been a developer for about 15 years, but just getting into the web side of things. I'm only 10 chapters in so far, but I love Mr. Myers approach to teaching HTML. While it can be repetitive, there are options to skip exercises anytime you like without worrying about missing a part of the greater project down the road. I'm the type of developer who learns best with hands on concepts, and this is the perfect solution for me.

There's no better way to learn HTML and CSS. I learned HTML 20 years ago, but I never got around to learning CSS well. I read lots of books and thought, "Oh yeah, that makes sense." And it does. But you have to actually code things to make anything stick. The coding exercises that go a long with this book (and the author's Javascript book) are fantastic. This is the best starting point for anyone who wants to learn or brush up on HTML and CSS.

Mark Myers, A Smarter Way to Learn HTML and CSS, book and course work online really sets his work apart from other authors. The interactive approach that he's developed, where you read a short section then apply the principles you just learned within the Brackets software and online, helps solidify the concepts. The sections are straight-forward and easy follow, as are the online quizzes, which again really help drive the concepts home in a fun and satisfying way. In addition, Mr. Myers is very response to feedback regarding his material. I was personally shocked when he responded to an email inquiry I had just a few days ago. I can't say enough good about Mr. Myers approach, I would encourage anyone give it a try.

Easy to read. The tests and exercises drive the chapter information home. I'm not an experienced coder, and I thought I would have trouble learning this, but this book is the best way I have found to make the information stick.

Thanks Mark, for writing this book. Since I got it over a week ago, I have been steadily working on it. I believe every book should be written this way, very engaging and helpful, as it introduces the concept in a brief chapter with lots of practice. I believe the confidence I gain from using this book and its companion title on Javascript , will help me in developing my programming carrier. Could you please do same for python? Also, can you do a more advance level of these books. Thank you again. Like someone said: "IF YOU CAN'T EXPLAIN IT, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND IT!"

I read this book cover to cover and did all the online exercises. The book gives anyone a solid foundation and understanding of HTML and CSS. The author's approach is pretty impressive, not only does he give you lessons that reinforce what you read about, but he uses very effective memory techniques. Before you try to tackle ASP, MVC or even just Javascript I would recommend you take a few weeks and read this book. You will understand and remember the building blocks. Also the author continues to improve the online exercise all the time. Tweeking things to give the best experience and value he can.

Definitely " A Smarter Way to Learn" using small steps, each step building on the next using a book and online resources. The online exercises are most enjoyable and reinforce learning and techniques from previous chapters. Although it's hard to cut corners or skip ahead , rather I have mastered the material in each chapter and retained coding skills. The timed exercises build reflex coding. I found there is a need to complete a number of chapters and exercises in each "session" to make reasonable progress. This is an educational experience and not a quick training with reference guide. I was pleasantly surprised to get an email from Mark Myers sfter I completed a online survey. I am looking forward to my next ASWTL title.

An effective way to learn. I purchased both this book and the Javascript book as pre-work for a coding bootcamp I'm attending next year. The elements are broken down into digestible pieces, and the exercises cater to a variety of learning styles (for example, I'm a kinetic learner, the live coding exercises help me the most). I will probably purchase future books in this series to expand my coding skills as I learn. My only quibble with the exercises is that the Tab key submits your answer, as I normally use that to indent my code.

It's so easy to stay focused on what you're learning with the approach taken by this book! It's also incredible how much I actually remember! I'm tackling all three in the series by studying a few hours every day. I can't wait for Mark to release more books on other programming languages!

I am a hands on learner and sometimes, it's hard for me to stay focused. I can easily get 3 chapters done a day, and retain the information. The chapters took less than 10 minutes to read and at the end of the chapter, you are directed to the practice site. Some content is tougher than others but if your revisit it the next day then you will remember what you got wrong and be able to retain it.

This was very useful. I learned a lot by doing 3 chapters a day and finished in about a month. It's mainly the basics, so I used some other sources to practice. Still have a long way to go, but this book was a great start!

I came to this book with a good knowledge of HTML and CSS already in hand. I use this titles on line exercises as a refresher as I have been away from web development for a while. All in all I would say this is a much better book than its Javascript counterpart. The on line exercises are more fair minded and allow you to overturn the result offered up by the test system if you think it is being unfair or has made a mistake. The general approach to teaching is, to my mind, a little unorthodox. Myers dives into both HTML/CSS more or less side by side, as opposed to teaching the basics of HTML and then CSS. Personally, if I were a beginner, I'd want to learn the framework of HTML first and then move on to CSS. I think teaching both together may be a little confusing for an absolute beginner. If you are new to HTML and CSS by all means buy this book. That said make sure you also buy another title as a foundation for your learning such as Head First HTML.with CSS. The second book will offer you a more structured approach to learning whilst this title is great for practice and looking at aspects of HTML and CSS in a "modular" way. Lastly I do think the on line feedback system needs to be revised. It only offers you the choice of saying you "love" or "hate" this book. What if you think its "reasonable" as I do? Seems its all or nothing, so to date I have not offered any feedback which is a shame as feedback is how a product is improved. Lets hope this changes soon.

I have tried lots of different methods for learning: books, online tutorials etc. This is the first time that I look forward to continuing the lessons every day. I don't feel lost and I don't feel that I am forgetting things as I go along. The way the HTML is integrated along with the CSS makes this especially valuable, instead of learning first HTML and then CSS as I probably would have done when I started looking into this. I have a smattering of HTML and CSS that I have picked up along the way and I decided to start from the bottom up to get a more complete understanding, and this book is really really good. The chapters are short and you spend more time trying things as you go along than reading about it.

It may not have everything but that is what google is for. Interactivity of the book is what sold me. See you in 2 years that is my goal for Html,Javascript and Python

I have some experience in HTML & CSS and I bought this book to brush up on it. I love how the author explains everything and gives little practice tests. A very unique way of teaching, but hell... It works! Thank you for your book sir!

I've never met Mark Myers and know nothing about him except that he is an excellent teacher. I base this on my progress through his book. He's put a lot of work and thought into his on-line exercises. They are really excellent. If you're just starting out in HTML & CSS, as I am, then this is the book for you. It is worth every penny. Thank you Mr. Myers. This book is the standard on which I will judge all tutorial books. Authors, read this book to learn how to do it!

I have saturated myself in HTML & CSS books in the past 3 months. My current job sucks so bad that I am trying to learn a new skill so that I can extract myself from my current Hell. Mark Myers' book has been an excellent resource. The chapters are very short but the exercises (usually 20 per chapter) run you through every angle of the skill he presents in each section. It definitely makes it easier to remember the different aspects of HTML and CSS with all of the repetition involved. At the very least buy the kindle version, it is very inexpensive for what you can get out of this book. I will also be getting the JavaScript book. Recommended.

Add to skillset for new employer. It's a great method for quickly gaining a useable level of familiarity with the subject matter. He puts out several others and i plan to buy a few of them as soon as i finish this one.

I really like and appreciate this way of learning. The interactive online lessons really help cement the concepts in the book in my mind. The act of writing HTML/CSS reinforces the concepts in a way the makes them stick. This book really is a smarter way to learn HTML and CSS. This book and interactive exercises covers the basics of HTML/CSS. I would love to see Mark write a similar book on advanced HTML/CSS for those that already have a good foundation in the basics. If you are a relative novice to HTML/CSS you can't go wrong with this book as a quick and easy way to learn and retain.

For me, this is the perfect way to learn HTML. Learn a few new principles, do some coding, rest, repeat. If you don't actually do the practice exercises, you'll probably either find the book too elementary or get nothing out of it. But it you're new to coding and don't mind actually doing so work, this book is terrific!

I purchased the book, A Smarter Way to Learn HTML & CSS, and then to my surprise it came also on my Samsung Galaxy Tablet for free. I did not even wait for the book to arrive before starting to read it; however, I will use the book to practice the lessons on line. I am trying to find the time now to begin again to become an expert in this field. Thank you Mark Myers and Amazon.

This book and its related online content were structured in a way that made it exceptionally easy and fun to learn html and CSS. While I recognize there is still of lot to learn, especially in the arena of html 5, there was certainly enough content to form a good foundation upon which to build. I definitely feel like I am walking away with the necessary skills develop web pages. My next step is to grab Mark's book on JavaScript as a refresher. It truly was a great way to learn and I hope that Mark puts out several more books such as one with advanced html topics. I highly recommend this book.

I'm not a strong reader, especially with long chapters. Every chapter in this book is 1-2 pages. And it comes with an exercise at the end.

I won't spend too much time reviewing this. Let's just say that the methodology of this book is amazing, and it is as effective as it is advertised to be. I really wish the author would create a "A Smarter Way to Learn PHP & SQL". Like the testimonial says on the back of the book--Mark Myers should be in charge of our government educational systems. They need to create these types of books + exercises for math. note: there are typos and errors in the book, but very minor. still give it 5 stars

This is a very good way to learn. Learning in small bytes and doing the exercises helps set the ideas in concrete. Why didn't we do this before. There are a LOT of exercise and some are redundant but that's the point: producing. I like how he shows alternative ways of styling the material. And he shows the way that most professional coders do things. I recommend this book.

This is the perfect book to teach programming. This book reinforces what you've read multiple times and it does it in such a way that I can remember it, no other programming book has done that. Thank you Mark Myers, for writing books that allow most anyone to learn!

My retention on code is between 90 and 100%. I also like that fact that I am being tested on typing speed. What a great way to learn!

I'm a complete noob but this book has really helped me to grasp the basics of html and css. The ideas are presented as simply as possible for people like me. The exercises reenforce the lessons. A brilliant method. You stay driven to learn as you easily master the concepts in bite-sized chunks. Highly recommended for beginners.

This book is wonderful with the exercises. I really do think it is a much better way to learn. I have already worked through his JS book and am about 20% of the way through this one. Also, it is an excellent value! I can't recommend this series enough for the beginner/ intermediate programmer.

You should start with this book before reading another book.It's been 4 years now, that i am working as developer in my company, but i never really took time to learn css, most codes came from Internet. But this book teach me a lot of things, and this way to learn made things stay in your mind. I totally recommand it.

This is the second Mark Meyers book I have used to learn with. This method of learning really does help you retain the knowledge.

In these times, it is important to learn everything about the Internet and as project ourselves through it is essential and if it is faster then this is twice better to surviving in a competitive world. So the method of Mark Myers is a great opportunity to learn what is necessary to project us globally, otherwise we are limited in space and time. Then read step by step, as his method puts through this exceptional book, and then just make exercise related to HTML. CSS and their combinations will allow us to learn through a solid way that will make us efficient and effective now and until we know is useful.

A no-nonsense, "prove it to yourself" approach to learning a subject matter - As the name implies, it truly is a smarter way to learn. Reading is great, but when you APPLY what you've read, that's where you take those words and turn them into ACTION... and in the process, prove to yourself that you really understand the subject. Now that's power(ful).

Good book. Allows one to learn quickly.

I found this book to be extremely effective in learning HTML and CSS. The book takes the approach that you can eat an elephant (or a large meal, if you prefer the latter analogy) one bite at a time. It is a great mix between the explanatory side of learning and the "doing" side of learning. When I finished each chapter, I had a wonderful feeling of accomplishment and validation. Well done. Looking forward to other topics from this author, and hoping that other authors take a page from his book!

Just finished Chapter 10, and it suggested I write a review, haha. I wouldn't be writing this if I didn't think it was teaching me well, so I decided to go ahead and give an honest review. It works so far, and I think I can make it through all 89 chapters. Then, on to javascript and jquery.

I have no problem with the book at all! As a starter it is very helpful and explains everything clearly. It is easy to read and remember and it provides you with a website where you can practice your skills. Again this book is not for advanced level developers, it is for starters, people who never learned programming at all. The one thing I would suggest is to change a drag and drop down interactive exercise to click a correct word and it drop on it's own.

Pros: You've tried to learn HTML from other books. After 2 weeks and several hours of frustration, you're still not totally understanding what you're doing and you're ready to give up. You buy this book with short chapter and immediate quizzes. 1 hour into the book, and you've already finished 3 chapters and you've gotten 100% on the quizzes/exercises! You really feel like you've accomplished something! Cons: This book is more of an exercise in memorization and immediate regurgitation onto a quiz/exercise. As other reviewers have stated, the chapters build upon each other. However, I wonder how many of those readers have progressed past chapter 5. I suspect they are just thrilled to have made some progress, as mentioned in the "Pros" above. When you hit about chapter 32, you'll be asked to complete some exercises that require you to code using syntax you haven't seen since chapter 13. Bottom Line: You really shouldn't memorize the tags/syntax. Better to UNDERSTAND what to do and WHEN to do it (i.e. best practices/good design techiques). The "memorization" of tags/syntax comes from repeated use.

This book is great, especially for true beginners. Great explanations. The exercises found online are so helpful and really help you grasp the concepts and syntax. Even though it isn't a fancy-looking book, it's really worth the buy. I'd recommend it over a boring book with no exercises.

A good way to learn because it gives it to you in small chunks that can be followed up with the online quiz to reinforce the topic. As a reference book, it would be a little cumbersome to use.

This is the absolute BEST series of computer coding books EVER made. Drop CodeAcademy! Forget Udemy! . This is where it all begins. This is really unique and addictive AND easy!

Outside of not being able to contact some sites listed in the book that are no longer available I learned quite a bit and fast.

I bought this book even though I already knew the basics of HTML and CSS syntax, but most of the time I don't do anything complex, and I don't have all the syntax "memorized. This book explains the concepts clearly, and the accompanying online "drills" helped to solidify what I already knew about HTML and CSS, and I learned a few things too. Highly recommended.

A book that can be really helpful once you are willing to do some practice. Not some hasty manual of the things you will forget next day, but very thorough source of html and css knowledge. On the top of that, it seems to be explained plainly enough even for a complete begginer.

Excellent way to learn HTML and CSS. This is the best use of the internet and web browser incorporated as part of the learning experience. I am using all of his E-Books bacause they are very interactive. Learning with the hands-on techniques used in the books have maximized my skill levels . I use them over and over just to stay sharp. Very good I want to see more....

I have been retaining information from this book at an astonishing rate (for me anyways). I'm able to recall concepts days/weeks after learning it from the book/exercises. Mark's way of teaching really sticks. Give this book a try if you have a hard time memorizing HTML/CSS syntax and concepts.

Excellent way to learn and master what you read.

I found the book to start off making little or no assumptions about the reader and started from the beginning about HTML and CSS. Book is a good resource for beginners and to keep next to your computer while web programming. Recommended.

There are quizzes at the end of every chapter. You need a computer to answer the questions as there is a URL address. There are 20 questions in each quiz. You know immediately if you got the answer right and if you get it wrong, you can repeat the question all over.

Mark Meyers has made an excellent learning resource in his series "A smarter way to learn XYZ" - These books have been instrumental in my learning to code and becoming a developer.

Absolutely amazing book!!! I attended a coding bootcamp yet I still fell short of skilled so I purchased this book due to its reviews, and boy am I pleased. This is by far the best series of coding / programming books available, therefore I bought all three books. Wish they used it in school. Anyhow I hope there's more to come from these series of books. For example pythong, C#, node.js...etc.

So far so good, taking a small bit at a time and then putting to practice is working for me as I am retaining most of what I am learning. The tests after each lesson helps you retain more when you do small bits of this great book.

I found this book to be a good introduction to HTML & CSS. The exercises were a useful way to reinforce the readings.

Lots of work went into writing this book and the separate online lessons. Extremely well worth the price. Did this and Javascript for prep for my Java class in college. Very happy with the ease and thoroughness of this book.

So incredibly helpful!!!!! Highly recommend

Loved the layout of this book. The content was well explained and the author provided ample hands on work to help solidify learning.

You will learn your stuff if you do the online exercises. :)

I recently decided that I would like to learn how to design websites, but was very apprehensive about the process of learning to code. It appeared to be such a daunting task! Every time I looked at a coded page i thought "NO WAY". Then I found this book and Mark Myers teaching system. I still have a long way to go, but I am making progress far quicker than I ever thought possible. The method of reading short chapters and immediately reinforcing what you have read is incredibly effective. Each day I look forward to learning a few more chapters. Bravo to Mr. Myers!

This book is written by somebody who really gets how to teach and learn coding. I am using his book to prep for a bootcamp and am so glad I am. I have a sense of accomplishment after each lesson so am spurred on to keep going. The online activities and exercises really help the information stick, and they are free! I highly recommend this book!

Mark Myers has a teaching style that I wish many books would follow. Not only does it make learning easy but it puts the fun back into learning. Each lesson builds on the previous experience and allows you to maintain what you learned. A must have for anyone looking to learn HTML & CSS! I'm looking forward to any other books this author publishes.

This is the best way to learn! Doing the online exercises helps so much, and I strongly believe it is the best way to learn programming. The chapters are the perfect length and he moves you from one concept to another seamlessly.

If you are like me and are just starting out to learn to code, this book is the gem you would wish to find. From the outset you are not reading a book, but you are immediately coding and to systematically learn the language and to write it. The online exercises that are provided are fun to do and do not take a lot of time. I am at chapter 10 right now, but I am excited to continue and witness to the progress I am making. Highly recommended.