Learning XML, Second Edition

Java In A Nutshell, 5th Edition

XSLT Cookbook

JavaScript: The Definitive Guide

Learning XSLT

Xml

XML in a Nutshell, Third Edition

Format: Paperback
Author: Elliotte Rusty Harold
ReleaseDate: September, 2004
Publisher: O'Reilly Media
Rating:

Strictly a Reference book only...
. I took this book as it was a recommended book for one my courses. i thought it would be same as other text books, where you actually LEARN THRU THE BOOK. .

But this book is STRICTLY for a reference purpose. . I had to take another book to learn the basics of XML. . also, the net tutorials helped a lot. .

Though, as a reference book, I'll give full points to it. . once you have the basic knowledge about XML, you can really use this book to its optimum level, and it really helps you to refer ALL the types in XML. .

So if you are starting to learn XML, I would advise to take a simpler book, like "XML Applications" and go through the net too. . but once you are done with the basics, buy this book the very next day, and check out what all wonders you can do through XML!!!.

Not an introductory tutorial
I was disappointed!

The writing style chosen by the author is terse, as if writing space is at a premium - and this for a book which is 600+ pages long. I chose this book after reading the glowing reviews here at Amazon, hoping to use it as an introductory tutorial to XML. The examples are badly chosen in my opinion, and the explanation of basic concepts is presented in the style of a reference manual. Take for example the explanation of the NOTATION element attribute: "A notation type attribute contains the name of a notation declared in the document's DTD. . . In theory, it could be used to associate types with particular elements, as well as limiting the types associated with the elements".

At this stage, I gave up on this book and went instead to Hunter's "Beginning XML". Still, all wasn't lost: I read a colleague's copy, so at least I wasn't out of pocket.

XML in a Nutshell
Very useful and well written. The organization of the book is great. It provides quick-reference syntax rules and usage examples for the core XML technologies, including XML, DTDs, Xpath, XSLT, SAX, and DOM. Develop an understanding of well-formed XML, DTDs, namespaces, Unicode, and W3C XML Schema.

This new edition is the comprehensive XML reference. Serious users of XML will find coverage on just about everything they need, from fundamental syntax rules, to details of DTD and XML Schema creation, to XSLT transformations, to APIs used for processing XML documents.

The initial chapter on SAX along with the reference chapter would give me a solid foundational base from which to work. If you need explanation of how a technology works, or just need to quickly find the precise syntax for a particular piece, XML in a Nutshell puts the information at your fingertips. I would recommend this book to someone interested in its topic. This book has earned a valued place on my reference shelf.
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