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Introducing HTML 5
Suddenly, everyone’s talking about HTML5, and ready or not, you need to get acquainted with this powerful new development in web and application design. Some of its new features are already being implemented by existing browsers, and much more is around the corner. Written by developers who have been using the new language for the past year in their work, this book shows you how to start adapting the language now to realize its benefits on today’s browsers. Rather than being just an academic investigation, it concentrates on the practical€”the problems HTML5 can solve for you right away. By following the book’s hands-on HTML5 code examples you’ll semantics and structures to help your site become richer and more accessiblehow to apply the most important JavaScript APIs that are already implementedthe uses of native multimedia for video and audiotechniques for drawing lin
223 pages, Paperback
First published July 11, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
May 26, 2015
An entertaining introduction to HTML5 with real-world examples. Bruce Lawson and Remy Sharp have a creatively funny writing style, and I laughed at many of their code samples. The book covers several topics: structure, text, forms, video and audio, canvas, data storage, offline, drag and drop, geolocation, and messages, workers, and sockets.
I liked the chapters on structure, text, forms, and video and audio. The remaining sections were good for me to read about, but I won’t likely be using them soon since I’m a web designer, not developer. I definitely didn’t get as much out of this book as I would have if I knew more JavaScript. I’m currently learning JavaScript through Lynda.com.
SitePoint recommended this book. I enjoyed it much more than Sams Teach Yourself HTML5 in 10 Minutes.
Notes
• Use Modernizr for backwards compatibility with older browsers.
• The Internet Archive will convert and host audio and video for free.
I liked the chapters on structure, text, forms, and video and audio. The remaining sections were good for me to read about, but I won’t likely be using them soon since I’m a web designer, not developer. I definitely didn’t get as much out of this book as I would have if I knew more JavaScript. I’m currently learning JavaScript through Lynda.com.
SitePoint recommended this book. I enjoyed it much more than Sams Teach Yourself HTML5 in 10 Minutes.
Notes
• Use Modernizr for backwards compatibility with older browsers.
• The Internet Archive will convert and host audio and video for free.
December 31, 2010
Bruce Lawson makes me swoon.
July 9, 2017
I disappointed. I had bought this book some years ago when HTML 5 was a new and modern technologies. I had not time for reading it for years. But when I read it I didn't get any good emotions.
The book is a really not good. There is a lack of explanations, poor examples and stupid author's jokes. Even some goods API and interesting HTML 5 abilities are not be able to change the bad first opinion.
The book is a really not good. There is a lack of explanations, poor examples and stupid author's jokes. Even some goods API and interesting HTML 5 abilities are not be able to change the bad first opinion.
July 15, 2017
All the new things and everything you need to know about HTML5.
April 24, 2018
Provides a concise way of understanding the new elements of the semantic web and how they stand along with their long existing co-elements
October 18, 2018
Flipped through this book. Its too simple and out of date to be of any use in 2018.
February 7, 2025
I passed my web dev exam with it
July 12, 2017
This is good book to get familiar with the HTML5 and all the new API's and specifications that are
or will be implemented in HTML5. This is more theoretical book and it is not that heavy with code
examples, which for me personally was good thing because I wanted to get familiar with the new
features that are in HTML5 and when you should use them and when not.
As the title says "Introducing" this book introduces as with all the new things in HTML5. If you
like to know more about some specific topic like canvas, geolocations, ... it is best to buy specific
book for that topic.
The only difficult thing for me was to understand some words or phrases because English is not my native
language and this book is written in British-English which for me is more difficult to understand than
US English.
It good if you have some basic knowledge in HTML, CSS and JavaScript because the authors are assuming that.
Very big plus for this book is that the authors have big background/experience in HTML and web related
technologies and they are very well familiar with the evolving HTML5 specifications.
or will be implemented in HTML5. This is more theoretical book and it is not that heavy with code
examples, which for me personally was good thing because I wanted to get familiar with the new
features that are in HTML5 and when you should use them and when not.
As the title says "Introducing" this book introduces as with all the new things in HTML5. If you
like to know more about some specific topic like canvas, geolocations, ... it is best to buy specific
book for that topic.
The only difficult thing for me was to understand some words or phrases because English is not my native
language and this book is written in British-English which for me is more difficult to understand than
US English.
It good if you have some basic knowledge in HTML, CSS and JavaScript because the authors are assuming that.
Very big plus for this book is that the authors have big background/experience in HTML and web related
technologies and they are very well familiar with the evolving HTML5 specifications.
January 3, 2012
I'm a software developer and most of the stuff I work on is web-related. But I've done primarily server-side work, and I've been put off doing more client-side development due to the poor programming model in web browsers. As The Register once put it, In Web 2.0, we are able to create a Rich Internet Application, and give the user the experience he deserves. Careful observers may notice, however, that the programming model has lost some of its former coherence. I read this book in the hope it would convince me the browser is ready for prime time development, or at least close enough that it's now worth investing significant time to learn about.
For my purposes, then, Introducing HTML5 has been a worthwhile read. It covers not only HTML5 (new, semantic, markup, forms, audio and video, data storage, offline support, canvas etc), but also some related technologies, such as CSS3, SVG, geolocation, web workers and web sockets. Actually I'm still a little hazy on what's inside the HTML5 spec and what's out - it is described, but the book is basically a summary of the important bits of HTML5 plus a few related (new, trendy) technologies.
The authors specifically state that the book is not complete, but it does contain a wealth of advice from practical experience using HTML5 technologies. I read the second edition, which is up-to-date as of some time 2011, but it's notable that they talk about Chrome 12, when I'm writing this review in Chrome 16 already.
The book has quite a lot of code snippets, but it's not a programming manual. Other reviewers have complained about the amount of code. If all you know is HTML markup and CSS, the code may frequently be useless to you. On the other hand, this book doesn't feel like a suitably detailed reference for heavy development.
After I'd read this I came away with the feeling I'd read the world's longest introductory HTML5 blog post. And that's it's strength and weakness. If you'd like an easy to read, whirlwind tour of (almost) the latest web technologies and their associated gotchas, this book is great. If you need more detailed, rigorous documentation, this is not the book you are looking for. For me, it answered my question: HTML5 is not ready for prime time, but it is close enough I should start learning more right away.
For my purposes, then, Introducing HTML5 has been a worthwhile read. It covers not only HTML5 (new, semantic, markup, forms, audio and video, data storage, offline support, canvas etc), but also some related technologies, such as CSS3, SVG, geolocation, web workers and web sockets. Actually I'm still a little hazy on what's inside the HTML5 spec and what's out - it is described, but the book is basically a summary of the important bits of HTML5 plus a few related (new, trendy) technologies.
The authors specifically state that the book is not complete, but it does contain a wealth of advice from practical experience using HTML5 technologies. I read the second edition, which is up-to-date as of some time 2011, but it's notable that they talk about Chrome 12, when I'm writing this review in Chrome 16 already.
The book has quite a lot of code snippets, but it's not a programming manual. Other reviewers have complained about the amount of code. If all you know is HTML markup and CSS, the code may frequently be useless to you. On the other hand, this book doesn't feel like a suitably detailed reference for heavy development.
After I'd read this I came away with the feeling I'd read the world's longest introductory HTML5 blog post. And that's it's strength and weakness. If you'd like an easy to read, whirlwind tour of (almost) the latest web technologies and their associated gotchas, this book is great. If you need more detailed, rigorous documentation, this is not the book you are looking for. For me, it answered my question: HTML5 is not ready for prime time, but it is close enough I should start learning more right away.
January 10, 2011
A great introduction to HTML 5 - well-written and actually fun while not eclipsing the technical content that makes it a useful book. My only negative remark (which is why it's received 4 stars instead of 5) has to be about the quality of the print, which in my edition (and others I've seen) is a little on the cruddy side - in particular poor registration renders a certain amount of the text fuzzy and in some places you actually need to peer and really concentrate to work out what the text says. These spots are few though and while it's not great, for the most part I would say that the quality of the writing and information makes it a worthwhile book. I really hope the publishers sort out the printing problems quickly though. It's a shame that such a great book is marred by such poor production.
November 3, 2014
The book tended to venture outside the domain of HTML5 and would be better described as a book about new web technologies whose primary focus is the changes to the standard brought by HTML5. I'm not complaining about the inclusion of APIs that aren't part of the HTML5 spec, though. Web Sockets and the like are extremely important to web app development going forward and I'm glad I got a taste of how to use the technology.
The authors are pretty heavy on the assumption of a JavaScript background, too. But my experience is that if you have some programming background, you don't necessarily need to be familiar with JS to get the gist of what the code is accomplishing. Prior to reading this book I had a very basic understanding of web development technologies and I was able to understand all the HTML, CSS and JS and I learned quite a bit from reading it.
The authors are pretty heavy on the assumption of a JavaScript background, too. But my experience is that if you have some programming background, you don't necessarily need to be familiar with JS to get the gist of what the code is accomplishing. Prior to reading this book I had a very basic understanding of web development technologies and I was able to understand all the HTML, CSS and JS and I learned quite a bit from reading it.
March 28, 2012
I'm using this in my HTML5 class I teach at Emory University Continuing Ed in the Web Design/Development Certificate. I find it to be a great starter book for anyone who needs to bridge from 4 to 5. That said, do be sure you are strong with the HTML4 standard before moving on to 5 (as well as CSS2, CSS3 and JavaScript since you'll use a lot of JavaScript with the Canvas Element). This book is a great first step, providing a real world, real language methodology to understanding how the long-term standard will change and to what degree those changes will influence interface design for Web and mobile/smart technology.
December 1, 2011
Pretty great jumping off point, I got the first edition out of the library, then bought the 2nd edition, glad I waited for it. For technology that's still changing, with levels of support growing all the time, this does a good job for a static resource, and I have always really liked both authors for their ability to nail things down, weigh pros and cons of different options and technologies (saving me time) and still include plenty of cool stuff. It's definitely an introduction, I'd like to read more...
January 19, 2016
One of the first book on smoking hot HTML5. Was it useful? Uhm, yeah, it actually was. Just that if you want to learn about HTML5, the web is a better publication platform (hell, you can even inspect the HTML while reading). By the time I write this review HTML5 spec was finalized and is different from what it was. The authors DID acknowledge that drawback and did a good job providing online resources for HTML5 learner. Though I got the general picture of HTML5 from this book, much of the practical knowledge is from http://diveintohtml5.info/ (and yeah, it is free)
June 26, 2012
This is how most introductory tech books should be written. A gentle introduction that doesn’t skip over anything important and points out some important caveats, in a nice and informal style with enough humour without overdoing it.
My copy, presumably first edition, has some misaligned colours which leads to blurry text here and there, especially in the coloured code listings. I also noticed some small copy mistakes but I trust that’s been fixed with more recent editions.
My copy, presumably first edition, has some misaligned colours which leads to blurry text here and there, especially in the coloured code listings. I also noticed some small copy mistakes but I trust that’s been fixed with more recent editions.
March 28, 2011
Bruce Lawson and Remy Sharp are defiantly people who know their stuff when it comes to HTML5. The book is readable for most users familiar with HTML at all, but also goes very advanced with regard to video.
I'd recommend Chapters :
1 HTML 5 Structure
2 Text
3 Forms
and
6 Data Storage
All the other chapters are designed for people wanting to implement, workers, GeoLocation aware webpages, Drag and Drop and I find them to be waaaaaayyy above my skill level.
I'd recommend Chapters :
1 HTML 5 Structure
2 Text
3 Forms
and
6 Data Storage
All the other chapters are designed for people wanting to implement, workers, GeoLocation aware webpages, Drag and Drop and I find them to be waaaaaayyy above my skill level.
May 24, 2011
I recently attended a Microsoft event featuring IE9, HTML 5 & Windows Phone 7. While at this event I won a copy of "Introducing HTML 5". I have been looking for a good book that could layout HTML 5 in a simple, systematic way that is easy to understand. This book hits the marks perfectly and I recommend it to anyone that is interested in learning the basics of HTML 5.
March 17, 2012
As usual, technical books get aged swiftly.
This confirm that rule, in some aspects.
Writing about some "techie" topics seems to be redundant or contradictory, ie: sockets is just one example.
By far, some "real world sites" do not exist anymore, so, imagination comes to rescue.
But html5 is here, aside, and will replace the actual code.
Good. Just good.
This confirm that rule, in some aspects.
Writing about some "techie" topics seems to be redundant or contradictory, ie: sockets is just one example.
By far, some "real world sites" do not exist anymore, so, imagination comes to rescue.
But html5 is here, aside, and will replace the actual code.
Good. Just good.
Currently reading
January 30, 2011Thus far, pretty clear explanations that go deep into the syntax and schema. I'm taking it slowly, trying to absorb as much as possible. My HTML5 knowledge is rudimentary at best; I have coded my portfolio site in it, nothing more.
June 9, 2011
A great tour de force of HTML5 illustrating the most interesting of the new features as well as the features of several interesting separate specifications, that are all bound to become a standard part of the arsenal of web developers. Very easy to read with plenty of relevant examples.
December 12, 2011
This book is a good overview of what HTML5 brings to web development. It is much fun to read and is very well written. Since HTML5 browser support is being developed very rapidly, an old-school paper book is probably not the best medium for the knowledge presented in this book.
May 25, 2015
The is called "Introduction" however the introduction is very shallow. The structure, layout, and colorfully displayed examples of code concepts is well done. However, I would personally desire to have more depth.
October 8, 2010
Great quick book to read to familiarise yourself with the new HTML5 and shows all sort of situation where you need to adapt the code to get your websites future proof.
July 19, 2011
Must-to-read chapters are: multimedia, stand-alone functions, API geolocations. Though, it doesn't enough for making smth like "Canvas Rider" for Chrome :)
August 30, 2012
In-depth and talks in easy-going language for intermediate to advanced designers straight from a couple guys involved in HTML5 development. I used this to create my current templates.
August 13, 2011
This is a nice, snappy treatment of the upcoming next version of HTML. Timely, with good content, well-explained.
November 10, 2011
I'm reading this book on and off when I need it. So far it's been a great, quick read for getting up to speed on current HTML5 technology. I've already put a lot of it to use.
December 21, 2011
Good enough, and starts off well. Good basics as an introduction. Not as satisfying as other HTML5 introductions, however, because it soon seems to wander, sometimes into non-introductory areas.
September 12, 2012
A little bit outdated, but a very good intro. It provides a holistic view of HTML 5 and highlights the new idea (semantic web) behind HTML 5 compared to 4 or XHTML.
December 3, 2012
Funny and very informative!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews