Last week I posted about 7 handy cheat sheets to help you code your own WordPress theme. This week I’m focusing on books that go into all details.
The web is full of ready made tutorials, even though they explain how something is done you can just copy paste it to use it on your website. A lot of people get stuck trying to modify something because they don’t know how things really work. Honestly if you want to have a clear and easy tutorial it’s difficult to go write about everything from basics to advanced.
A lot of people don’t like books but in the case of web design it pays off to have your shelves stocked with some of the most noteworthy books on the latest like CSS3, HTML5 and WordPress 3. You don’t even have to read them front to back although some of them are so well written I enjoy reading them completely.
Together these books will provide you with solid knowledge to tackle most websites.
Handcrafted CSS
Written by Dan Cederholm and Ethan Marcotte. It is the first book about CSS that jumps right into the topic already expecting that you know the basics about CSS. Up until recently a lot of CSS book started with teaching readers really basic things. CSS has been here long enough that we can now get books that delve deeper into the code teaching you different tricks and how they work.
Get Handcrafted CSS and learn how to make a flawless fluid design, how to use RGBA with CCS3, use font-face and more, all bulletproof.
Book: $26.39 (Amazon)
Book and DVD: $34.64 (Amazon)
DVD: $25.54
HTML5 for Web Designers
Written by Jeremy Keith with foreword by Jeffrey Zeldman. If there is one book about HTML5 your are going to buy, make it this one. Jeremy explains in just 85 pages and plain understandable language about all new specifications in HTML5. For such a technical subject the book reads easier then some fiction books I have read.
Paperback: $18.00
e-book: $9.00
Paperback & e-book bundle: $23.00
A Practical Guide to Designing for the Web
Written by Mark Boulton. If like me you are not a pro designer or you want to learn than this books is for you. Mark has a background in print design and is now web designer. He really gets into the material explaining use of colors, fonts, margins and all other design rules. This book wouldn’t miss stand on the reading list of a college design course.
PDF: £12.00
Hardboiled Web Design
Written by Andy Clarke. Hardboiled Web Design has just been released, while the PDF version is already available the paperback is currently being printed to be shipped by end of this month.
Hardboiled Web Design is different. It’s for people who want to understand why, when and how to use the latest HTML5 and CSS3 technologies in their everyday work. Not tomorrow or next week, but today. It won’t teach you the basics of writing markup or CSS, but if you’re hungry to learn about how the latest technologies and techniques will make your websites and applications more creative, flexible and adaptable, then this is the book for you.
Andy made the book a themed book based on gritty, hard-hitting, anything goes detective stories. The cover says it all about what to expect in the book. A very new and interesting way to teach CSS and HTML.
Limited edition of 2,500: Paperback, PDF & Poster: £38.00
Paperback: £32.00
PDF: £16.00
Digging into WordPress
Written by Chris Coyier and Jeff Star. This book is best as PDF version. While coding your custom WordPress theme and you can’t quit remember how to do a custom query. Just search the PDF for “wp_query” and get the explanation, example and options all explained in simple language. Much more handy than going through the WordPress codex.
Print + PDF: $70
PDF: $27
Smashing WordPress: Beyond the Blog
Written by Thord Daniel Hedengren, Smashing WordPress starts with the basics on installing WordPress but soon goes into more advanced aspects of WordPress. How to design themes, develop plug-ins and use WordPress more as a CMS instead of only for a weblog.
Yes, the pace is high at first, but I’m sure you can manage.
Book: $29.69(Amazon)
