Books that taught me the concepts and skills that I needed to build my website
When I had that spark of motivation to build a website for myself, I do not know how to get started.
At that point of time, I found myself lacking in the following skills to:
- design my website
- create codes for the browser to render the front end look and feel
- create codes for the web server to respond to HTTP requests from the browser
- write some decent content for my website
This post lists the books that helped me understood the concepts that I needed and acquired the skills that I needed to fulfill my motivation of building my website.
Books that help me with designing my website
The Principles of Beautiful Web Design
A brief introduction from Amazon
This second edition of The Principles of Beautiful Web Design is the ideal book for people who can build websites, but are seeking the skills and knowledge to visually enhance their sites.
This book will teach you how to:
- Understand the process of what makes "good design," from discovery through to implementation.
- Use color effectively, develop color schemes, and create a palette.
- Create pleasing layouts using grids, the rule of thirds, and symmetry.
- Employ textures: lines, points, shapes, volumes, and depth.
- Apply typography to make ordinary designs look great.
- Choose, edit, and position effective imagery.
And lots more... (more from Amazon)
Sexy Web Design: Creating Interfaces that Work
A brief introduction from Amazon
Sexy Web Design is an easy-to-follow guide that reveals the secrets of how to build your own breathtaking web interfaces from scratch. You'll be guided through the entire process of creating a gorgeous, usable web site by applying the timeless principles of user-centered design.
Even if you're short on design skills, with this book you'll be creating your own stunning web sites in no time at all.
Throughout, the focus is on simple and practical techniques that anyone can use - you don't need to have gone to art school or have artistic flair to create stunning designs using the methods outlined in this book. (more from Amazon)
100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People (Voices That Matter)
A brief introduction from Amazon
We design to elicit responses from people. We want them to buy something, read more, or take action of some kind. Designing without understanding what makes people act the way they do is like exploring a new city without a map: results will be haphazard, confusing, and inefficient. This book combines real science and research with practical examples to deliver a guide every designer needs. With it you’ll be able to design more intuitive and engaging work for print, websites, applications, and products that matches the way people think, work, and play. (more from Amazon)
Books that help me with creating HTML and CSS codes for the browser
Build Your Own Website The Right Way Using HTML & CSS
A brief introduction from Amazon
With over 60,000 copies sold since its first edition, this SitePoint best-seller has just had a fresh update to include recent advances in the web industry.
With the first two editions coming highly recommended by established, leading web designers and developers, the third edition with all its extra goodies will continue that trend. Also fully updated to include the latest operating systems, web browsers and providing fixes to issues that have cropped up since the last edition. (more from Amazon)
The CSS Anthology: 101 Essential Tips, Tricks & Hacks
A brief introduction from Amazon
The CSS Anthology: 101 Essential Tips, Tricks & Hacks is a compilation of best practice solutions to the most challenging CSS problems. The third edition of this best-selling book, has been completely revised and updated to cover the latest techniques and newer browsers, including Firefox 3 and Internet Explorer 8.
It's the most complete question-and-answer book on CSS, with over 100 tutorials that'll show you how to gain more control over the appearance of your web page, create sophisticated Web page navigation controls, design for today's alternative browsing devices including phones and screen readers, and much more.
The CSS code used to create each of the components is available for download and guaranteed to be simple, efficient and cross-browser compatible. (more on Amazon)
Books that help me with creating PHP codes for the web server to respond back to the browser
PHP Solutions: Dynamic Web Design Made Easy
A brief introduction from Amazon
This is the second edition of David Power's highly-respected PHP Solutions: Dynamic Web Design Made Easy. This new edition has been updated by David to incorporate changes to PHP since the first edition and to offer the latest techniques--a classic guide modernized for 21st century PHP techniques, innovations, and best practices.
You want to make your websites more dynamic by adding a feedback form, creating a private area where members can upload images that are automatically resized, or perhaps storing all your content in a database. The problem is, you're not a programmer and the thought of writing code sends a chill up your spine. Or maybe you've dabbled a bit in PHP and MySQL, but you can't get past baby steps. If this describes you, then you've just found the right book. PHP and the MySQL database are deservedly the most popular combination for creating dynamic websites. They're free, easy to use, and provided by many web hosting companies in their standard packages. (more from Amazon)
Plug-In PHP: 100 Power Solutions: Simple Solutions to Practical PHP Problems
A brief introduction from Amazon
Practical solutions to real-world problems
This practical guide gives you 100 ready-to-run PHP functions for solving most of the main problems you encounter when building a dynamic website with PHP. Every plug-in in the book offers a complete and working solution for a result you can achieve right away, using ready-made code you simply drop into your own program. And there's little or no learning curve, because each one is self-contained and thoroughly documented.
Packed with tips and suggestions
Plug-in PHP is packed with programming tips and suggestions for further adapting the functions to your own needs, and even breaks down all the variables, arrays and functions used by each into at-a-glance tables, accompanied by a screen grab of every function in action. This makes the book extremely easy to use, even for complete beginners to PHP programming. (more from Amazon)
Books that help me with writing content for my website
The Yahoo! Style Guide: The Ultimate Sourcebook for Writing, Editing, and Creating Content for the Digital World
A brief introduction from Amazon
WWW may be an acronym for the World Wide Web, but no one could fault you for thinking it stands for wild, wild West. The rapid growth of the Web has meant having to rely on style guides intended for print publishing, but these guides do not address the new challenges of communicating online. Enter The Yahoo! Style Guide. From Yahoo!, a leader in online content and one of the most visited Internet destinations in the world, comes the definitive reference on the essential elements of Web style for writers, editors, bloggers, and students. (more from Amazon)
ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income
A brief introduction from Amazon
A complete how-to from two of the world’s top bloggers
Thousands of aspiring bloggers launch new blogs every day, hoping to boost their income. Without solid advice from experts, most will fail. This bestselling guide, now fully revised with new and updated tips and tricks from two of the world’s most successful bloggers, provides the step-by-step information bloggers need to turn their hobby into an income source or a fulltime career. (more from Amazon)
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