Book Review - HTML5 Up And Running

HTML5: Up and Running

by Mark Pilgrim

At 205 pages, including Appendix and Index, this is a compact book full of concise, practical advice on how to detect and use the new features of HTML5.

The first chapter provides a fascinating history of HTML, including snippets of correspondence between the leading lights dating back to 1993 showing how the language evolved and standards were formed.

A quick overview of the new elements follows with some useful advice on how to detect support for them.

The author then methodically introduces each new feature in detail and includes some helpful code examples demonstrating how one might use them.

The author is clearly enthusiastic about his topic and does his best to enthuse the reader:

“This is exciting, right? I mean, it’s not “skiing down Mount Everest naked while reciting the Star Spangled Banner backward” exciting, but it’s pretty exciting as far as semantic markup goes.” (page 49)

.…which is just as well as it is essentially quite a dry topic (I wouldn’t recommend trying to read this book cover-to-cover). I wasn’t that excited, but I will definitely start using some of the new features in my next project.

HTML5: Up and Running does exactly what it says on the tin. The author covers each new element explaining in clear terms how to detect and then use it. Suitable for both novices and experts it will likely be a useful reference to keep on your desk long after first reading.

Reviewed by Kim Rowan