XML in a Nutshell, Third Edition

XML Weekend Crash Course (with CD-ROM)

Definitive XML Schema

Learning XML, Second Edition

JavaScript Bible, Fifth Edition

Xml

XML Programming Bible (Bible)

Format: Paperback
Author: Brian Benz
ReleaseDate: 26 September, 2003
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Rating:

A good description of XML
It does not contain any exercise (although it contains some codes) to help you get your feet wet. This book does a great job at describing XML.
This is a good reference book. If you are a beginner, you will still need another book to help you get started.

Excellent book!
1 Bible review, I took a look at the XML Programming Bible by Brian Benz with John Durant (Wiley). As a follow-up to the XML 1. For those who want to use XML within their application development (as opposed to just web pages), this is the perfect follow-on book to have.

The chapter breakout. . .
Part 1 - Introducing XML - XML Concepts; XML Documents; XML Data Format and Validation; XML Parsing Concepts; Parsing XML with DOM; Parsing XML with SAX; XSLT Concepts; XSL Transformations; XSL Formatting Objects
Part 2 - Microsoft Office and XML - Microsoft XML Core Services; Working with the MSXML DOM; Generating XML from MS Access Data; Creating an Excel Spreadsheet from an XML Data Source
Part 3 - XML Web Applications Using J2EE - XML Tools for J2EE: IBM, Apache, Sun, and Others; Xerces; Xalan; XML APIs from Sun
Part 4 - Relational Data and XML - Accessing and Formatting XML from SQL Server Data; Accessing and Formatting XML from Oracle Data; Accessing and Formatting XML from DB2; Building XML-Based Web Applications with JDBC; Transforming Relational XML Output into Other Formats
Part 5 - Introducing Web Services - Web Services Concepts; SOAP; WSDL; UDDI; Microsoft Web Services; J2EE Web Services
Part 6 - Microsoft . Net and Web Services - Creating and Deploying . Net Web Services; Accessing . Net Web Services; Building a . Net Web Services Client
Part 7 - Web Services and J2EE - Web Service Tools for J2EE: IBM, Apache, Sun, and Others; Web Services with the Sun Java Web Services Developer Pack; Apache Axis; Access Web Services from Java Applications
Part 8 - Advanced Web Services - Accessing Relational Data via Web Services; Authentication and Security for Web Services; Index

I think I got finger cramps just typing all that! :-)

Seriously, there's really good material here. The assumption is made that you already understand basic XML technology. Benz doesn't spend an inordinate amount of time covering introductory material. Part 1 does do a bit of that, but only enough to establish the basic direction for the rest of the book. There is much more attention paid to XML concepts that come into play for programmers, such as the document object model of XML and how the two types of parsers (DOM and SAX) work. The rest of the book is highly practical, with examples of how to generate or access XML data using a variety of platforms, such as Microsoft Office, . Net, J2EE, Oracle, etc.

For me personally, I appreciate the emphasis on code and working examples. I have always learned more by taking something that works, tearing it apart, and using it as the basis for my own efforts. Benz has provided many examples that provide just that opportunity. Being that he doesn't restrict his writing to a single platform (like . Net or J2EE), this is one of few books that have a cross-over appeal to many technology platforms. If you happen to work in a shop that uses both Microsoft and Java technologies, you'll be able to get a single book that will assist you on both sides of the fence.

Basically, there's nothing I can find fault with for this book. It's solid writing of essential information you need for using XML in your various applications. This is a book that gets my highest recommendation.

Great Book!
Anyone who will touch more than 1 or 2 implementations of XML should have this book in their library. Brian covers the topic areas complete, with examples and walkthroughs.