What do you think?
Rate this book
Responsive Web Design with HTML5 and CSS3
This book will lead you, step by step and with illustrative screenshots, through a real example Are you writing two websites - one for mobile and one for larger displays? Or perhaps you've heard of Responsive Design but are unsure how to bring HTML5, CSS3, or responsive design all together. If so, this book provides everything you need to take your web pages to the next level - before all your competitors do!
324 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2015
171 people are currently reading
409 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
January 5, 2021
کتاب بسیار جذاب بود. نوع نگاه نویسنده جالب بود. البته شوخ طبیعی بامزه ای هم داشت. کتاب در سال ۲۰۲۰ چاپ شده و این یعنی بسیار بروز هست. مثال های کتاب در سایت کتاب که خود نویسنده در کتابش ذکر کرده به راحتی قابل دستیابی هست و اینکه اونها رو همزمان با خوانش کتاب ببینید خیلی مفیده. مخصوصا که به قول نویسنده، یکم باهاشون بازی کنیم تا بهتر درک کنیم.
بعضی نکات حرفه‌ا� در تصمیم گیری (و نه در صرف نوشتن css و html) اینکه کجا چه کنیم، برای من خیلی جالب و آموزنده بود.
فصل آخر هم خیلی جالب بود، خوندن این نکات حرفه‌ا� در حوزه UI، برای من تازگی داشت. اغلب آموزش های UI صرفا در مورد Elementها حرف می زنند و رد می شوند، اما در این کتاب، در مورد اینکه کجا و چطور استفاده بشه هم صحبت شده. در مجموع کتابی بود که از خوندنش لذت بردم، هرچند که بعضی بخشها رو به دلیل اینکه تا به حال باهاش مواجه نشده بودم، خیلی عمیق نشدم اما با این همه، ارزش مطالعه رو داشت و از خوندنش خوشحالم.
بعضی نکات حرفه‌ا� در تصمیم گیری (و نه در صرف نوشتن css و html) اینکه کجا چه کنیم، برای من خیلی جالب و آموزنده بود.
فصل آخر هم خیلی جالب بود، خوندن این نکات حرفه‌ا� در حوزه UI، برای من تازگی داشت. اغلب آموزش های UI صرفا در مورد Elementها حرف می زنند و رد می شوند، اما در این کتاب، در مورد اینکه کجا و چطور استفاده بشه هم صحبت شده. در مجموع کتابی بود که از خوندنش لذت بردم، هرچند که بعضی بخشها رو به دلیل اینکه تا به حال باهاش مواجه نشده بودم، خیلی عمیق نشدم اما با این همه، ارزش مطالعه رو داشت و از خوندنش خوشحالم.
January 25, 2021
Good book, especially for beginners wanting thorough detail. However, I felt the book was drifting very far from the topic of "responsive web design" too often. Had to abandon after about 50% because I wasn't learning anything new. I was expecting to read & learn more about responsive web design, not in-depth detail about every HTML element to exist. But, if the book were on the topic of HTML5 in general, then it would receive a much higher rating.
August 6, 2017
Not quite as informative as I would have thought given the title. The author starts out very well and explains things in good detail. But, as you get further into the book, it seems as if the author is in a hurry to finish. Detailed explanations are lacking as you continue to read and I felt wanting for more information. This is a deep subject and the book could have been many pages longer. This might also be due to the fact that I'm still learning HTML and CSS. One of these days, I will most likely reread it and if my opinion changes, I will revisit this review.
I did get quite a bit of useful information from it so it was still a good read. I bought this to use as a reference and there are multiple little blue tags sticking out from the pages.
I did get quite a bit of useful information from it so it was still a good read. I bought this to use as a reference and there are multiple little blue tags sticking out from the pages.
June 19, 2012
"Responsive Web Design with HTML5 and CSS3" offers lots of examples of modern techniques that are available nowadays for building a responsive website.
The differences between a responsive website and a mobile website are clearly explained. The author emphasizes that responsive web design is not the solution for all problems related to showing websites on different (mobile) devices. In some situations however, when building a pure mobile website is too expansive, a responsive design can be an excellent option. It offers an alternative that is normally better than a standard website with fixed-width design.
The author also shows some cases in which responsive web design is less suitable, like a client who wants the site to look exactly the same on IE 8 and below. A rule-of-the-thumb is that when more than 70% of all users are using IE 8 or below, don't use a responsive web design. Is has too many disadvantages.
Media queries and using percentages in CSS is covered very well. These are more or less the basics for a responsive web design.
With all the examples given, the book is a manual for making a responsive website, especially in combination with HTML5 and CSS3.
As said before, the book contains a lot of examples. Normally however, a very limited part of the HTML or CSS code is given. Also the browser prefixes are omitted. Personally I would have preferred less information about the possibilities of HTML5 and CSS3 and a more step-by-step approach to the new responsive website. Now the results of the code changes are shown, but the code itself is omitted. This prevents the reader building the same site together with the author.
The differences between a responsive website and a mobile website are clearly explained. The author emphasizes that responsive web design is not the solution for all problems related to showing websites on different (mobile) devices. In some situations however, when building a pure mobile website is too expansive, a responsive design can be an excellent option. It offers an alternative that is normally better than a standard website with fixed-width design.
The author also shows some cases in which responsive web design is less suitable, like a client who wants the site to look exactly the same on IE 8 and below. A rule-of-the-thumb is that when more than 70% of all users are using IE 8 or below, don't use a responsive web design. Is has too many disadvantages.
Media queries and using percentages in CSS is covered very well. These are more or less the basics for a responsive web design.
With all the examples given, the book is a manual for making a responsive website, especially in combination with HTML5 and CSS3.
As said before, the book contains a lot of examples. Normally however, a very limited part of the HTML or CSS code is given. Also the browser prefixes are omitted. Personally I would have preferred less information about the possibilities of HTML5 and CSS3 and a more step-by-step approach to the new responsive website. Now the results of the code changes are shown, but the code itself is omitted. This prevents the reader building the same site together with the author.
November 23, 2022
After the first few chapters I thought this book is for beginners, for someone who just starts his/her journey into the world of frontend development. But with every other chapter my thinking changed. There is actually a ton of useful information regarding HTML and CSS the even experienced developers would find interesting.
This book has three sections. First one is about the fundamentals and, to me, it was a little bit uneven. Some info was too basic, but it was mixed with some advanced concepts. So it definitely isn't for beginners, rather for someone looking for a refresher. But with that in mind I have to say that chapters about Media Queries and CSS Grid were really good - don't skip it even if you think you've mastered those.
The second section is about core skills for frontend developers. Here you have a deep dive in CSS, SVGs, animations and forms. Topic that are often overlooked by seasoned developers. I really liked this section as it was detailed enough that it helped me understand some of the things I do on a daily basis "mechanically".
And then there's the third section - about the future of responsive web design. It shows features that are not yet widely supported or are just planned. It's a really interesting view on the future - I wasn't aware how much is going on in the "simple" HMTL and CSS world. And I have to thank the author for introducing me to CSS Layers, this feature is a lifesaver for me!
If it comes to the writing - it's written in a simple language, but the author assumes that the reader has at least a basic knowledge of technical terms.
I read this book partially on Kindle and in physical version. The Kindle version is of course really cozy to read, but this book has lots of images and code - and those don't display well on my Oasis. The physical version helps with that, but I have to say that the cover is made of really poor quality paper. Other than that - everything is fine.
I'd definitely recommend this book to frontend developers. Especially those on the beginning of their journey, but seniors also will find here something for themselves.
This book has three sections. First one is about the fundamentals and, to me, it was a little bit uneven. Some info was too basic, but it was mixed with some advanced concepts. So it definitely isn't for beginners, rather for someone looking for a refresher. But with that in mind I have to say that chapters about Media Queries and CSS Grid were really good - don't skip it even if you think you've mastered those.
The second section is about core skills for frontend developers. Here you have a deep dive in CSS, SVGs, animations and forms. Topic that are often overlooked by seasoned developers. I really liked this section as it was detailed enough that it helped me understand some of the things I do on a daily basis "mechanically".
And then there's the third section - about the future of responsive web design. It shows features that are not yet widely supported or are just planned. It's a really interesting view on the future - I wasn't aware how much is going on in the "simple" HMTL and CSS world. And I have to thank the author for introducing me to CSS Layers, this feature is a lifesaver for me!
If it comes to the writing - it's written in a simple language, but the author assumes that the reader has at least a basic knowledge of technical terms.
I read this book partially on Kindle and in physical version. The Kindle version is of course really cozy to read, but this book has lots of images and code - and those don't display well on my Oasis. The physical version helps with that, but I have to say that the cover is made of really poor quality paper. Other than that - everything is fine.
I'd definitely recommend this book to frontend developers. Especially those on the beginning of their journey, but seniors also will find here something for themselves.
November 11, 2019
should ve been rated higher, very good book in my opinion.
September 9, 2022
Read the book to dust off some knowledge on fundamental concepts. Content - good, dad jokes - unbelievably bad.
April 8, 2016
This book isn't the most comprehensive reference on HTML5 and CSS3, but then ask yourself, would you actually read the most comprehensive reference on HTML5 and CSS3? In my opinion, this book is worthwhile because its information is current and the author is a good teacher who can get the reader into a solid rhythm with each topic. In a good way, he doesn't exhaust each subject, but rather pulls you in deep enough to understand it and weigh its uses. Nearly every topic is also left with external resources to check out for further info. Reading as an ebook I usually jump away to links like these and pocket them for later, and so far I've found most of those links to be good enough to bookmark long term. So this book is solid because you have enough material to feel like you really learned something yet you know where to go if you want to drill-down deeper into a given topic.
Much of the book's coverage of HTML5 features could seem like review if you've gone through a book on the subject in the last five years, but the two chapters that cover it are probably great for those new to the subject. The book really focuses more on CSS (as it should) and the highlights for me in particular were the chapters on flex-box, media queries and SVGs. Though I've encountered the subjects in another book and looked up scattered info online, I felt like I made a ton of headway on the subjects because of the way the material was covered in this book. Unlike many authors who seem to approach writing their material to the mantra of "please paraphrase the reference docs you find online and provide one or two unrealistically simple code examples to go with", this author actually teaches. I had more than one light-bulb moment - from the viewbox vs width/height relationship of SVGs to the way spread values work in CSS shadows - due to great explanations and code examples that really cut to the point.
I think the only critique I have is the coverage of CSS transitions and keyframe animations could have been more thorough. Animations are such a common and now growing part of front-end development and as such I think it takes a lot time to cover. There are many examples, but I'm not sure it incrementally built up and was shown the same "check out this cool thing you can do" excitement as was shown in the media query or flex-box (or even the CSS transforms) sections. Seeing it done in "Learning AngularJS Animations" (though Angular it's still a ton of coverage of CSS transitions and keyframe animations with significantly more stylesheet snippets than javascript snippets), you might be able to see why so much more time devoted to it is warranted and is rewarding.
But to be honest, I really liked this book and it's now littered with tons of highlights and bookmarks of mine that I'll be referring back to for a long time.
Much of the book's coverage of HTML5 features could seem like review if you've gone through a book on the subject in the last five years, but the two chapters that cover it are probably great for those new to the subject. The book really focuses more on CSS (as it should) and the highlights for me in particular were the chapters on flex-box, media queries and SVGs. Though I've encountered the subjects in another book and looked up scattered info online, I felt like I made a ton of headway on the subjects because of the way the material was covered in this book. Unlike many authors who seem to approach writing their material to the mantra of "please paraphrase the reference docs you find online and provide one or two unrealistically simple code examples to go with", this author actually teaches. I had more than one light-bulb moment - from the viewbox vs width/height relationship of SVGs to the way spread values work in CSS shadows - due to great explanations and code examples that really cut to the point.
I think the only critique I have is the coverage of CSS transitions and keyframe animations could have been more thorough. Animations are such a common and now growing part of front-end development and as such I think it takes a lot time to cover. There are many examples, but I'm not sure it incrementally built up and was shown the same "check out this cool thing you can do" excitement as was shown in the media query or flex-box (or even the CSS transforms) sections. Seeing it done in "Learning AngularJS Animations" (though Angular it's still a ton of coverage of CSS transitions and keyframe animations with significantly more stylesheet snippets than javascript snippets), you might be able to see why so much more time devoted to it is warranted and is rewarding.
But to be honest, I really liked this book and it's now littered with tons of highlights and bookmarks of mine that I'll be referring back to for a long time.
December 15, 2014
As the title of the book implies, it is focused very much on responsive web design, and how HTML5 and CSS3 contribute to this. If you’re well-versed with responsive web design, CSS3 and HTML5, this book is not for you. If you feel like there are gaps in your knowledge of any of those three aspects, this book may be of great benefit to you. Even if the end result is simply knowing what you don’t know.
For those of you new to CSS3, HTML5 or responsive web design in general, this book is an excellent source of information. It covers the theoretical aspects of responsive web design, down to practical, real-world problems you face with some elements (i.e. iFrames). HTML5 is introduced fairly well, supplying information about the new HTML elements, as well as outlining HTML documents. CSS3 is covered very thoroughly, and should leave you with a working understanding of the new features of CSS3, as well as a basic understanding of CSS in general.
The last chapter of the book is dedicated to cross-browser issues, and designing for high resolution devices. This is beneficial, as some issues are recurring, and this chapter gives you a good basis from which to design solutions to these issues.
The book generally puts the chapters in context, explaining why responsive web design (or certain aspects) are worthwhile in a project, and when something like a dedicated mobile site is a better solution. It offers numerous images, and explains what makes the example image good or bad (in terms of responsive web design), while also giving you the background understanding of how grids are created, while suggesting some grid frameworks. The author has managed to cover every topic I feel a responsive web developer and designer needs to know. Some topics are most beneficial when studied with previous knowledge of HTML and CSS, but even with little to no knowledge, you should be able to follow the chapters and understand what is happening.
For those of you new to CSS3, HTML5 or responsive web design in general, this book is an excellent source of information. It covers the theoretical aspects of responsive web design, down to practical, real-world problems you face with some elements (i.e. iFrames). HTML5 is introduced fairly well, supplying information about the new HTML elements, as well as outlining HTML documents. CSS3 is covered very thoroughly, and should leave you with a working understanding of the new features of CSS3, as well as a basic understanding of CSS in general.
The last chapter of the book is dedicated to cross-browser issues, and designing for high resolution devices. This is beneficial, as some issues are recurring, and this chapter gives you a good basis from which to design solutions to these issues.
The book generally puts the chapters in context, explaining why responsive web design (or certain aspects) are worthwhile in a project, and when something like a dedicated mobile site is a better solution. It offers numerous images, and explains what makes the example image good or bad (in terms of responsive web design), while also giving you the background understanding of how grids are created, while suggesting some grid frameworks. The author has managed to cover every topic I feel a responsive web developer and designer needs to know. Some topics are most beneficial when studied with previous knowledge of HTML and CSS, but even with little to no knowledge, you should be able to follow the chapters and understand what is happening.
November 2, 2014
The book does a great job in providing details on the 'Responsive Web Design' concept.
Media queries is one the main topics of the book and the author does an excellent job in explaining it. Fluid grid layout is another technique that is easy to understand just by reading through the paragraphs. Flexible images is the third component of the whole Responsive Web Design (Media query and Fluid grid layout being the other two of course) and I was amazed at the simplicity of implementing this feature.
A good chunk of the book concentrates on HTML5 and CSS3 features which makes sense in light of how these new features help in creating a responsive site. The author also cautions the readers of when not to use responsive web design.
The book contains many websites that are highly useful tools for a web developer.
The book creates a fictitious website to help its readers implement the features. I'm one of those guys who likes work with the book, so that boosted my understanding big time.
For the hungry minds, CSS3 - The Missing Manual by David Sawyer McFarland is a great add-on for this book.
Media queries is one the main topics of the book and the author does an excellent job in explaining it. Fluid grid layout is another technique that is easy to understand just by reading through the paragraphs. Flexible images is the third component of the whole Responsive Web Design (Media query and Fluid grid layout being the other two of course) and I was amazed at the simplicity of implementing this feature.
A good chunk of the book concentrates on HTML5 and CSS3 features which makes sense in light of how these new features help in creating a responsive site. The author also cautions the readers of when not to use responsive web design.
The book contains many websites that are highly useful tools for a web developer.
The book creates a fictitious website to help its readers implement the features. I'm one of those guys who likes work with the book, so that boosted my understanding big time.
For the hungry minds, CSS3 - The Missing Manual by David Sawyer McFarland is a great add-on for this book.
May 18, 2012
This book falls under the "teach concept by walkthrough" category. It presents the application of responsive design via designing and developing a website (which is live and can be visited) step by step.
The actual responsive design theory is presented only in first few chapters (which was fine by me, but judging the book on its own merit, it felt lacking). Then the author delves into development and focuses on visual fireworks that can be achieved with CSS3. Optimization and performance are pushed aside in favor of visual flavor. Techniques not applicable to the example website are not covered.
To be honest, I've had enough of "walkthrough" books. They're an easy (and good) way to learn complex/difficult things, i.e. Flash, but I don't think responsive design is tough enough to require a walkthrough book - especially one that just feels too shallow and too focused on "ooh shiny!" factor of the responsive design trend.
The actual responsive design theory is presented only in first few chapters (which was fine by me, but judging the book on its own merit, it felt lacking). Then the author delves into development and focuses on visual fireworks that can be achieved with CSS3. Optimization and performance are pushed aside in favor of visual flavor. Techniques not applicable to the example website are not covered.
To be honest, I've had enough of "walkthrough" books. They're an easy (and good) way to learn complex/difficult things, i.e. Flash, but I don't think responsive design is tough enough to require a walkthrough book - especially one that just feels too shallow and too focused on "ooh shiny!" factor of the responsive design trend.
May 12, 2016
This book was good, but it could have easily been better.
First - the author really likes to use the words "whilst" and other "-st" words. Too much. It was distracting, but more of a pet peeve. It didn't get in the way of the content.
There were things that did get in the way of the content. First, the pictures needed to be in color. His examples referring to shading/background/shadow/gradients ... were meaningless when I looked at the black and white pictures. Also, hi-resolution references were lost in the pixelated pictures.
Also, he kept adding on to the code but not showing us where. I repeatedly flipped back, trying to find the original code. I would love to have seen a page (maybe at the end) with all of the code so I could more easily keep up. A list of all of the references mentioned in the book would have been nice, too.
Not the most user-friendly book, but a lot of good information.
First - the author really likes to use the words "whilst" and other "-st" words. Too much. It was distracting, but more of a pet peeve. It didn't get in the way of the content.
There were things that did get in the way of the content. First, the pictures needed to be in color. His examples referring to shading/background/shadow/gradients ... were meaningless when I looked at the black and white pictures. Also, hi-resolution references were lost in the pixelated pictures.
Also, he kept adding on to the code but not showing us where. I repeatedly flipped back, trying to find the original code. I would love to have seen a page (maybe at the end) with all of the code so I could more easily keep up. A list of all of the references mentioned in the book would have been nice, too.
Not the most user-friendly book, but a lot of good information.
November 28, 2024
El libro fue publicado en 2022 (4ta edición) por lo que me fue útil para actualizar algunos nuevos conceptos en diseño adaptable para web con el lenguaje de estilo CSS.
No es un libro para aprender CSS desde cero, pues asume que el lector ya conoce el lenguaje CSS (incluso, el de etiquetado, o HTML; junto con algo de Javascript).
El libro está centrado en la adaptabilidad del diseño ante los cambios de dimensiones del marco de un navegador web, o ante pantallas pequeñas o grandes. Bien explicado desde ese contexto.
Finalmente, esa editorial (Packt) se esfuerza por explicar los conceptos más allá del contenido que puede ser hallado en la web, por ejemplo, desde Mozilla webdoc. Libro recomendado para actualización de conocimiento previamente adquirido.
No es un libro para aprender CSS desde cero, pues asume que el lector ya conoce el lenguaje CSS (incluso, el de etiquetado, o HTML; junto con algo de Javascript).
El libro está centrado en la adaptabilidad del diseño ante los cambios de dimensiones del marco de un navegador web, o ante pantallas pequeñas o grandes. Bien explicado desde ese contexto.
Finalmente, esa editorial (Packt) se esfuerza por explicar los conceptos más allá del contenido que puede ser hallado en la web, por ejemplo, desde Mozilla webdoc. Libro recomendado para actualización de conocimiento previamente adquirido.
October 23, 2016
Great book for people who are tired of solving responsive web design with frameworks and want to delve deeper in the underlying languages of the web. I especially liked how after giving a bit of theory and examples, there's usually a "how I do it" part. Some people say there aren't enough examples in the book, but I didn't feel like there was anything lacking. Even so, the author provides many links to further information. Note: I wouldn't recommend starting out with this book. It makes much more sense when you've got the basics of web development down, e.g. through something like FreeCodeCamp.
November 13, 2014
The only thing I didn't like about this book was the lack of code examples. The code that accompanied the book only provided end-of-chapter "snapshots", so it was hard to truly follow along with the book as you built the sample application.
However, I loved the book for addressing a variety of issues facing web sites being viewed on different devices and user agents. It was a very quick and informative read!
However, I loved the book for addressing a variety of issues facing web sites being viewed on different devices and user agents. It was a very quick and informative read!
January 3, 2020
Great refresher as well learned some new things
I'm in the middle of working on my portfolio and have been running into some issues in making it responsive. I felt lost and was tired if searching the web for answers. This book was easy to understand, delivered great resources and I love it provided code examples to follow through each chapter. So glad I found this book!
I'm in the middle of working on my portfolio and have been running into some issues in making it responsive. I felt lost and was tired if searching the web for answers. This book was easy to understand, delivered great resources and I love it provided code examples to follow through each chapter. So glad I found this book!
June 1, 2012
Decent overview of responsive design in the first few chapters. Then a look at some browser-choking CSS3. There are some good nuggets of knowledge here and there, but I wish overall the book had been a little more comprehensive.
September 19, 2012
The book is more focused on CSS3 and HTML5 than on responsive web design. I would expect more deep dive for best practices and examples of responsive web design.
Actually the CSS3 part of book is not bad, cause it emphasizes the most "stable" modules and features of CSS3.
Actually the CSS3 part of book is not bad, cause it emphasizes the most "stable" modules and features of CSS3.
November 23, 2012
not bad. for beginners.
October 12, 2012
I thought it was a pretty good introduction to building a simple responsive web site. Some of the chapters may have felt a little padded, but on the whole it was an interesting read.
Read
July 6, 2013it's good
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 17, 2013
Excellent book for learning the fundamentals of RWD. It goes even further to discuss some CSS tricks to punch-up your designs. Very readable.
May 16, 2014
A great setup for Responsive Web Design. Good links to frameworks!
May 21, 2015
Must read for anyone involved with web design
February 27, 2016
Lettura scorrevole, tanti consigli "pratici" uniti ad una sana teoria :)
February 27, 2025
Great book introducing the concepts of Responsive Web Design - the art of adapting ones website to any device and screen. A must-read for any and all Web Developers.
May 16, 2024
Great reference for someone like me who is getting reacquainted with HTML/CSS after a few years off
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.