All-In-One Doesn't Mean All of It
I found this book to be an excellent introduction to XML and the XTeam, as the book calls it, but in reading it I realized that the book is only just an introduction to a much broader world. I think that it is perfect for beginners, and does a good job of steering you in all the directions you can go with future studies.
Some things to consider...although the author does not assume you have any previous knowledge in Web development, I don't think it would be possible to comfortably pick up on XML without knowing HTML and XHTML and the CSS knowledge that you should have when learning XSLT. As far as covering XSLT, you should definitely buy another book for that because XSLT mastery is beyond the scope of the book.
It is well-written and flows good. The way the book is written is so that you don't have to flip when using it as a reference. So, if you read it cover-to-cover, information repeats itself. If you do have experience with Web languages you might feel like you are getting too much information, but it is worth reading through to find those lesser known bits and pieces of info. The author is thorough with the material he decides to cover, enough so that you can intuitively plan your own code rather than simply emulate examples. Overall, I would say the book has definitely given me a great appreciation for XML, and I want to take it to new levels.
Sloppy editing, details glossed over
Though the book covers material quickly and lucidly, the editing is very sloppy and key details are omitted. For example, in discussing using the ID datatype for attributes in DTDs, it omits a key detail: a number isn't an XML name, and to get around this, prepend an _. The example given even shows a useage that won't work! The O'Reilly book of a classmate included this. Elsewhere the text discusses examples that aren't in the book and seem left over from a previous edition, and reading the text is distracting for the grammatical errors. In general it appears that the book was thrown together in a big hurry, which is a shame, as it's a very likeable book and would be great if the information was correct.
Learn the Full XML Story
The author's have done an outstanding job in writing the book. I found that even the mundane details were covered in the right place and with a little humor. The coverage starts out very simple, so many people won't use the beginning chapters extensively. However, as the book progresses, the coverage becomes more technical and I think that most people will find the authors have covered most of the XML details that any developer will need. The authors also discuss some of the details that other books leave out, such as the default namespaces. Little bits of information like this make the difference between a book that merely teaches and one that really helps. This book has something for everyone. Novices will get the most out of the book, but even advanced readers will receive some benefit. The thing I like the best is that the book is arranged as a quick reference--something that makes it especially useful when you're trying to complete a project and need to know some detail you've forgotten.
Know nothing about XML, it's OK
Before reading the book, I was knowing nothing about XML, but after reading a few chapters, I got familiar with the technology.
The book is good for XML first timers, also if you know a little bit about it, but it's not enough if you need to be professional.
(4 reviews)
