Great Web Development Books

Some public say web enhancement books are dead. Why spend $40 when here’s a seemingly never-ending stream of info available for free on the web, via blogs like Nettuts+? Well, here’s absolutely validity to that statement, but the fact remains, nothing compares to curling up on a couch with a fully researched, definitive guide to a fastidious subject.

With that in mind, we’ve prepared a list of books that we feel are among the best of the best. Nettuts+ approved books!

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PHP
JS
jQuery
HTML
WordPress
CSS
Miscellaneous

PHP

PHP Solutions: Dynamic Web Point Made Simple

Author: David Powers

“So why another PHP book? Well, not all who uses PHP is a programmer. PHP is the most common dynamic web language used by designers, if their web sites require dynamic functionality, and here are hordes of novice users who want to set up dynamic web sites.”

PHP for Absolute Beginners

Author: Jason Lengstorf

“PHP for Absolute Beginners starts at the very beginning stages of web programming, showing even the most inexperienced web developer, through examples, how to build a basic content management system. The book dives directly into writing web applications with accompanying explanation rather than explaining elements of the language and then showing examples.”

PHP Cookbook

Author: Adam Trachtenberg

“PHP Cookbook has a wealth of solutions for problems that you’ll face evenly. With topics that range from beginner questions to well ahead web programming techniques, this guide contains practical examples — or “recipes” — for anyone who uses this scripting language to generate dynamic web content.”

JavaScript

Professional JavaScript for Web Developers

Author: Nicholas Zakas

“Starting at the beginning, the book explores how JavaScript originated and evolved into what it is today. A meticulous discussion of the components that make up a JavaScript implementation follows, with specific focus on standards such as ECMAScript and the Document Object Model (DOM).”

JavaScript – The Excellent Parts

Author: Douglas Crockford

“Most programming languages contain excellent and terrible parts, but JavaScript has more than its share of the terrible, having been developed and released in a rush before it could be refined. This authoritative book scrapes away these terrible features to reveal a subset of JavaScript that’s more reliable, readable, and maintainable than the language as a whole-a subset you can use to start truly extensible and efficient code.”

Object-Oriented JavaScript

Author: Stoyan Stefanov

“Start scalable and reusable high-quality JavaScript applications and libraries using the concepts of object-oriented programming. This book is for the beginning to intermediate web developer who wants to solve web enhancement problems with smart JavaScript. It does not assume any prior knowledge of JavaScript programming; but even if you by now know some JavaScript, here will be plenty for you to gather here.”

JavaScript Patterns

Author: Stoyan Stefanov

“What’s the best approach for developing an application with JavaScript? This book helps you answer that inquiry with numerous JavaScript coding patterns and best practices. If you’re an experienced developer looking to solve problems related to objects, functions, inheritance, and other language-specific categories, the abstractions and code templates in this guide are ideal — whether you’re writing a client-side, server-side, or desktop application with JavaScript.”

Pro JavaScript Techniques

Author: John Resig

“This book addresses all the points higher than in detail – modern browser help (including info on Internet Surveyor seven), Object-Oriented JavaScript, testing and debugging, Unobtrusive JavaScript techniques using DOM Scripting, Ajax, making and using blocks of reusable code, and looking towards the future of JavaScript.”

JavaScript 24 Hour Trainer

Author: Jeremy McPeak

“This unique book-and-DVD package shows you how to use JavaScript to make web pages more dynamic and interactive so that you can start a first-rate user experience. Packed with expertly written lessons, this must-have book-and-DVD set provides instructional demonstrations on the DVD that improve your Java Script learning experience through tutorial demos and helpful examples.”

jQuery

jQuery Cookbook

Author: Cody Lindley

“Ideal for newcomers and JavaScript veterans alike, jQuery Cookbook starts with the basics and then moves to practical use cases with tested solutions to common web enhancement hurdles. You also get recipes on well ahead topics, such as methods for applying jQuery to large projects.”

jQuery Enlightenment

Author: Cody Lindley

“jQuery Enlightenment was written to express, in small-order, the concepts elemental to intermediate and well ahead jQuery enhancement. Its purpose is to instill in you, the reader, practices that jQuery developers take as common knowledge. Each chapter contains concepts elemental to becoming a seasoned jQuery developer.”

jQuery in Action

Author: Bear Bibeault

“jQuery in Action is a quick-paced introduction and guide. It shows you how to traverse HTML documents, handle events, perform animations, and add Ajax to your web pages. The book’s unique “lab pages” anchor the explanation of each new concept in a practical example. You’ll gather how jQuery interacts with other tools and frameworks and how to build jQuery plugins.”

HTML five

Introducing HTML5

Author: Bruce Lawson

“Written by developers who have been using the new language for the past year in their work, this book shows you how to start adapting the language now to realize its benefits on today’s browsers. Rather than being just an academic investigation, it concentrates on the practical—the problems HTML5 can solve for you straight away.”

Pro HTML five Programming

Author: Peter Lubbers

“The largest revolution since Ajax, Pro HTML five Programming: Commanding APIs for Richer Internet Application Enhancement introduces the most revolutionary new figure of HTML five, the cleverness to build Real-Time Web applications using Web Sockets. “

HTML5: Up and Running

Author: Mark Pilgrim

“With HTML5: Up & Running, you’ll gather how this new version enables browsers to interact with JavaScript much more easily than before. “

WordPress

Rockable WordPress Designer

Author: Collis Ta’eed and Harley Alexander

“Managing web content has always been tough, but with WordPress, any web designer can have a flexible, free and commanding CMS to use not just on blogging projects, but on all sorts of websites. In How To Be a Rockstar WordPress Designer you will gather step by step how to take a honest HTML site and power it with WordPress.”

Digging into WordPress

Author: Chris Coyier and Jeff Starr

“Here is much to gather about the Planet’s most well loved publishing platform. Digging into WordPress is near 450 pages of taking you from your first steps of learning about WordPress all the way through maintaining a site throughout the years.”

Professional WordPress Plugin Enhancement

Author: Brad Williams, Justin Tadlock, Ozh Richard

“As one of the most well loved open source content management systems available today, WordPress boasts a framework that allows you to easily make to order and extend it through plugins. This comprehensive book shows you how plugins work, reviews the tools and APIs available in WordPress, and demonstrates how to extend the functionality of WordPress with plugins.”

Professional WordPress

Author: Hal Stern

“An in-depth look at the internals of the WordPress system. As the most well loved blogging and content management platform available today, WordPress is a commanding tool. This exciting book goes beyond the basics and delves into the heart of the WordPress system, offering overviews of the functional aspects of WordPress as well as plug-in and theme enhancement.”

CSS

Hardboiled Web point

Author: Andy Clarke

“‘Hardboiled Web Point’ offers a fresh perspective on designing for the web — never compromising, always approaching boundaries. It strips gain to the bone and uses HTML5 and CSS3 to the maximum to help make your sites more adaptable to no matter what the web might throw at them. “

CSS Mastery

Author: Andy Budd

“A book that brings together the most useful CSS techniques in one place, that focuses on real-planet browser issues and that helps plug common gaps in public’s CSS knowledge.”

CSS: The Definitive Guide

Author: Eric Meyer

“CSS: The Definitive Guide provides you with a comprehensive guide to CSS implementation, along with a thorough review of all aspects of CSS two.one. Updated to cover Internet Surveyor seven, Microsoft’s vastly improved browser, this new edition includes content on positioning, lists and generated content, table layout, user gui, paged media, and more. “

CSS Cookbook

Author: Christopher Schmitt

“Gather how to solve the real problems you face with CSS. This cookbook offers hundreds of practical examples for using CSS to format your web pages, and includes code samples you can use straight away. You’ll find exactly what you need, from the basics to complex hacks and workarounds.”

Miscellaneous

Getting Excellent with Git

Author: Andrew Burgess

“In this book, Andrew Burgess will take you from knowing nothing about source code management to being able to use Git proficiently. You’ll look at why you must use a version control system, why Git is better than the other options, and how to set up and use Git.”

Fixed Expressions Cookbook

Author: January Goyvaerts

“Whether you’re a novice or an experienced user, Fixed Expressions Cookbook will help make deeper your understanding of the tool. You’ll gather commanding new tricks, avoid language-specific gotchas, and save valuable time with this huge library of proven solutions to trying, real-planet problems.”

What Did We Miss?

I’ve undoubtedly forgotten a handful of books, so let me know which books the list must include below. And a quick disclaimer: yes, we’ve used our Amazon affiliate codes higher than, but that in no way deters from the fact that every one of the books programmed higher than is fantastic. And hey, you help help Nettuts+ when you use these associations!

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