Reviews

Here are the latest reviews for my book, "XML: Visual QuickStart Guide, 2nd Edition." If you have read my book and would like to add your own review, please do so at either Amazon or Barnes and Noble. If you are a reviewer and would like to request a copy of my book, please contact me.

User Reviews

If you're looking for a good introduction to XML, this is a great book. It provides all a beginner needs to start understanding XML without getting overwhelmed.
--Jennifer Kyrnin, Guide to Web Design/HTML, About.com

....The book is easy to read and the color photos and examples make it easy to follow along. I love how the book is written in short examples and step-by-step instructions. You can turn to nearly any page of the book and there is a photo or colored code and some steps to follow. The two-column layout per page takes a minute or so to get used to, but once you are it reads like a Web page, without needing to scroll.

A Great Overview

The nicest thing about this book is how thorough it is for only 270 pages. It covers enough about each aspect of XML that you can understand it and get started working with it. You won't be an XPath guru after reading this book, but you will know enough to get started working with XPath. And there are so many other things this book covers as well, including XSLT, DTDs, Schemas, and namespaces.

Nice book to start on XML, June 5, 2009
By villa

...I am not a developer but I have to work around System Interfacing. I needed a good book which would give me the basics of XML and how it could be used.

For my purpose this book had more info than I needed. But it was easy to understand the concepts and the syntax of XML, XSLT, XPath, XML Schema and Namespaces.

Kevin Howard Goldberg has put together an excellent primer on the multifacted alphabet soup that is XML, April 19, 2009
By Larry Grinnell, MyMac.com

....This book is a great introduction to XML. It is loaded with sample code and examples to get you started. It is well illustrated and makes great use of color. Peachpit Press also offers a companion website with sample code, etc....I recommend this book highly.

An excellent comprehensive overview of the XML vocabulary and surrounding technologies, April 16, 2009
By Elizabeth Andrews, Technical Marketing Manager, Altova, Inc.

....It is simple enough to be easily understood by non-technical and novice readers, and powerful enough to prepare them to get started using XML right away.

I highly recommend this book, April 9, 2009
By Frank G.

I have had some prior exposure to xml but by no means am an expert.

The writing sytle is easy to follow and the book contains plenty of examples, and tips to provide you with a greater understanding of the material. The book progresses with each chapter and builds upon what you have already covered.

The book explains the basics and simplifies some of the more complex aspects of XML in a format that is easy to follow.

I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to learn the XML.

Great resource, April 1, 2009
By A. Birnbaum

Mr. Goldberg writes clearly and constructively. My XML knowledge before reading this book was fuzzy at best. Now, I'm an authority on the subject. Fantastic reference.

....I was *very* pleased to see [XML: Visual QuickStart Guide"] had been updated, and was also pleased that the structure and intent of the book hadn't changed - it is proving to be as effective in the classroom as the first edition (so far).
--Gary Stringer, Creative Media and Information Technology (CMIT), University of Exeter, UK

The additional material is very welcome, particularly the extra power of XPath 2.0 and the developments with XQuery. The 'XML in practice' chapter is useful in answering some of the questions of the more technically minded students, and encourages them to investigate further.

I'm also relieved that you've left in the material on DTDs. We have a very 'mixed background' class, ranging from Computer Science undergraduates through to humanities postgraduates who need to learn XML to markup their digitised raw materials, and who may have very little technical experience when they begin.

DTDs are still the easiest way to grasp document definition languages; being relatively simple they are much more transparent, and the students can see the relationship between the definition and the resultant markup very clearly as they develop their application in the <oXygen/> editor.... As a busy practitioner (working mostly with TEI/XML, XSLT and XQuery in humanities research projects), it has saved me a great deal of time and energy (and rendered my own lecture notes almost redundant)!....I'll be recommending it to next year's intake wholeheartedly....thanks again for taking up the challenge and updating an excellent book with great expertise.

Yes, I've been finding the book to be pitched just right for my learning style and existing knowledge.
-- Kevin Atkins, Indiana University

I am currently reading your book, it's great and I'm enjoying it. I will definitely recommend it to my students and others.
-- Kuda Dube, Dublin Institute of Technology

Don't waste your time searching for other XML Books, February 24, 2009
By Joseph Hawa

....By far one of the best XML books on the market today!!

As professionals, time is money. Why buy an XML book that's 400+ pages when you can learn XML the fast, easy and enjoyable way? if you want a comprehensive reference guide read the W3C Specs, If I want to learn XML read this book! J.

Very Good Book on XML, January 30, 2009
By John Howard Stafford

I am very impressed with the book so far (need to finish). It holds true to the previous Visual QuickStart Guides that I have read in that it has tons of examples that go along with concepts. I have read many XML books and this book covers all the major topics concisely and clearly.

Finally! A GOOD Beginners Guide to XML That Delivers, January 27, 2009
By Robert F. Sullivan

Truth be told, I do not work as a Web developer, but on a daily basis my job has me in contact with business clients and Web application developers. My clients require robust Web applications, my developers make it happen. Because of legacy data issues, shared disparate databases, and the need for them to handshake; XML Web services have become a standard solution in many commercial Web solutions. Though I am somewhat familiar with the basics of XML, I wanted to go deeper to better myself and better my knowledge in client/tech conversations. What I did not want to do is to go so deep as to read a monster 1000+ page tome that would require weeks of book study, application and befuddlement.

Instead, Mr. Goldberg's book provided me a concise breakdown on the structure of XML markup language in a detailed/digestible enough manner to keep me engaged and participatory. Each chapter cleverly builds on previous topics, so as to provide a pyramid learning approach. This enabled me to go deeper than before into the more arcane areas of the language (XPath patterns, functions, expressions, XSL-FO, DTD's, schemas, etc.) so it could be more easily understood.

If you are new to XML, curious, or need enough to know to be dangerous in your job, then this book is for you. BTW, I highly recommend that you download his chapter samples so as to follow along and to tinker with. I read the entire book in a weekend and returned to work on Monday loaded for bear. Now I keep it at my desk for easy reference.

The Best Introduction to XML I've Found, January 23, 2009
By PGCo

Quite simply the best introduction to XML and all the related standards which I've found so far. Obviously it doesn't have the breadth and depth of, say the O'Reilly books, but as a 'one stop shop' for anyone new to XML, XSLT, XML Schemas, XPath, etc, this would be hard to beat.

I Am No Longer Confused, January 7, 2009
By Michael P. Weiss

XML? HTML? XHTML? So many letters, so many meanings. As an amateur programmer, I was really confused about XML. For one, why do I need to know it? What does it really do? Is it important? I am happy to say that I am no longer confused. Mr. Goldberg's writing style and his use of real world examples (using the Wonders Of the World was brilliant) not only put me at ease, but allowed me to fully understand what XML is, when to use it and more importantly HOW TO USE IT.

I am a huge fan of Peachpit. Their books read well and to be honest feel good in my hands (high quality printing and paper). I checked to see what else Mr. Goldberg has written and it seems this is his first book for Peachpit. I hope they plan to have him write more!

Excellent book on XML, December 28, 2008
By dorothyparker

XML: Visual QuickStart Guide (2nd Edition)

I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to learn the basics of XML.

I have about an intermediate level of HTML acumen and wanted a book that would cover enough of the rudiments to get a good grasp of the subject. It does that, as well as cover a myriad of related apps such as XPath, XSLT, and XQuery.

I also really appreciated the comprehensible instructions, visual examples, recommended tools, and the applications that give XML its currency in the real world.

All in all, an excellent source.

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