"I like CSS so much I wrote half a book on it."
Or more truthfully, CSS is so troublesome that I wrote half a book on it. Late in 2001, Glasshaus Publishing contacted me with an outline. I said that's nice, but it's last year's book; we need to write next year's book. To their credit, they said "do tell", and so began many long nights trying to figure just what to write.
I think it turned out pretty well.
The imagined reader was someone who already knew XHTML, and who needed to learn CSS fast to deal with the industry's sudden realization that accessibility and cross-platfom aren't just buzzwords.
How much of the fundamentals do they have to know from the word GO? How much do you have to tell them about browser shortcomings so they can get their first few pages up and begin to understand how CSS works? How much do you have to teach them about troubleshooting so they can solve their own inevitable late night problems?
If you're sitting down with a co-worker and have to bring them up to speed on CSS, just what do you say?
That's what this book is about.
Glasshaus teamed me up with Eric Costello of Glish fame, and brought in Steven Champeon and Matt Patterson to insert two great specialty chapters of their own. Steven on Markup With Meaning, and Matt on Typography.
I like the book. Check it out.
UPDATE MARCH 2004: New Second Edition! ("Now in Pink!")
The second edition is out. A new publisher, rewritten end-to-end (a little over eight pounds of coffee for my part), an added chapter on styling tables by Matt Patterson, and a vastly more extensive projects section by Dave Shea, John Simons, Mike Switzer, Dan Rubin, Mike Pick, and Cornelia Lange. And (and!) tech edited by Dave Powers. Dang, huh?