Learn HTML 4 in a Weekend

by Steven E. Callihan

The fourth edition of this popular book. The third edition (ISBN: 0761526943) has had a strong history since it was published in October of 2000. This new edition includes information on using graphics tools such as Paint Shop Pro, Photoshop, Fireworks, and Mapedit, as well as updated tutorials with new, real-world examples. The most significant updates should be to the tables, forms, and graphics tutorials. All tutorials will be standards-based and feature designing valid HTML 4.01 Web pages.

450 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1997

Reviews

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

About 20 years ago, I decided to master HTML. I was 13, deeply involved in internet forums, obsessed with Myspace, and already had a solid grasp of basic HTML—but I wanted more. Now, after nearly two decades of on-and-off study, I can finally say I’ve finished this book and am quite proficient in HTML (though that proficiency is entirely unrelated to reading this book).

It certainly did not take a weekend to read.

While dated, Learn HTML 4 in a Weekend is still a useful manual to have lying around. Significant portions of it are outdated (QuickTime, Netscape, anyone?), but fundamentally, HTML has not changed that much. That said, the book was written before HTML5 and makes some rather bold assumptions about the future of HTML. For example, it repeatedly asserts that HTML 4 is the final version of HTML, and it heavily emphasizes migrating to XHTML—which, as we now know, never really took off. The references and recommended tools are obviously outdated as well.

From a stylistic standpoint, I actually appreciate the documentation. The manual is clear, well-written, and as someone who dabbles in technical writing, I can say that the author put together a solid instructional book. The explanations are structured well, and for its time, this book was probably a great resource.

Would I recommend this to anyone in 2025? Absolutely NOT! This is an introductory manual for legacy technology that is either defunct or outdated. While you can still learn the fundamentals of HTML from it, there’s no compelling reason to start with HTML 4 unless you’re specifically interested in the history and development of the language. A modern beginner would be far better off starting with HTML5. The book also lacks coverage of the many modern tools we now have for web development. It doesn’t touch on platforms like WordPress or Wix, nor does it cover newer versions of XML or DITA. I think I remember a Dreamweaver reference in there somewhere, but honestly, does anyone even use that anymore?

Ultimately, Learn HTML 4 in a Weekend is a relic of a different era in web development. It’s a neat historical curiosity, but not much more.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a really quick introduction to HTML. For anyone who needs to start from the very beginning, this is a good place to start. It wasn't designed for anyone who needs to get up to speed on current standards compliant web design, so look elsewhere if you're looking for the golden book of web design. For anyone who wants to learn basic HTML to manipulate text and images this is innocuous enough to read through in a sitting. I liked it's straight-forward nature and thought it was a perfect tone for the person scared of markup language.

There are some parts of the book that probably have been rewritten for new editions. Frames and tables are not the best way to go about designing, but I am willing to let it go as the book was written back in 2000 so a lot of standards and notions of design have change. It's my only caveat about the book.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dated but interesting.