The Ultimate Resource on Web Site Design
Theory and Practice!

Book Reviewed by: Blake Boyer

This book is an 872-page paperback that, according to the author, "isn't going to wallow in obtuse theory or get hung up on nitty-gritty technical issues of building pages. Instead, I will try to discuss important theory, as well as the practical rules of thumb and technical gotchas that my firm has picked up in the practice of building or redesigning nearly 150 sites over the past few years." It is designed to illustrate that "truly excellent sites are hard to execute; on the Web, a very fine balance has to be struck between designer wants and user needs, between form and function, between uniqueness and consistency, all the while respecting what is reasonably possible to execute in the chaotic medium of the Web." "I hope that after reading the book you will know what to look for, and understand the theory and practice behind why a site works. If I've done that much, this book will be 50% of what you need to make great Web sites."

After reading WEB DESIGN: THE COMPLETE REFERENCE, I am inclined to agree that the author succeeded in doing that which he set out to do. At times I was frustrated when the author left a subject before getting to the "nitty-gritty, but every topic was well covered. His goal of 50% might not have been reached, but the book is a good start. The rest will be up to you and your creativity. So get out there and show the Web what you can do!

The Author, Thomas A. Powell, has also authored such influential books as HTML: The Complete Reference and Web Site Engineering: Beyond Web Page Design, he has long been involved in the Internet community, first with network support at UCLA's PICnet, followed by several years at CERFnet. His articles about the Web have been published in NetGuide, Internet Week/Communications Week and other magazines. His Web technology column "The Web Mechanic" appeared in the print and online versions of Interactive Age throughout 1996. He has also edited numerous books about the Internet for Prentice-Hall and teaches Web Publishing classes at the University of California, San Diego Extension where he serves as the senior instructor and faculty advisor in the Information Technologies program. Mr. Powell holds a BS from UCLA and an MS in Computer Science from UCSD.

The Web site for this book can be found at http://www.webdesignref.com/