Web Design in a Nutshell is an excellent reference for HTML 4.0 tags (including tables, frames, and Cascading Style Sheets) with special attention given to browser support and platform idiosyncrasies. The HTML section is more than a reference work, though. It details strange behavior in tables, for instance, and gives ideas and workarounds for using tables and frames on your site. Web Design in a Nutshell also covers multimedia and interactivity, audio and video (including Flash and Shockwave), Cascading Style Sheets, and emerging technologies like Dynamic HTML, XML, embedded fonts, and internationalization. There are chapters on creating GIF, JPEG and PNG graphics, including designing with the Web Palette.

"In the beginning, the Web was simple. It isn't so easy anymore. With the explosion of the Web came an avalanche of new technologies, proprietary tags, and acronyms. Even for someone who is immersed in the terminology and environment on a professional basis, it can be truly overwhelming. You just can't keep this stuff in your head anymore," says author Jennifer Niederst in the preface. "I often wished there was one place to go to find quick answers to my questions. That's why I wrote this book. It has the useful parts without a lot of fluff, organized so that information can be found quickly. It's based on the wish-lists-and indeed, the contributions -- of both professional and hobbyist web designers."

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