Since the twitter account for A Book Apart was created, I was thrilled. A List Apart has done a lot for everyone working on the web, so its metamorphosis to book form should be awesome. A few months later, A Book Apart and Jeremy Keith announced HTML5 For Web Designers, the first book in the series, and I didn’t immediately pre-order it. To be honest, I wasn’t sure the book was worth it. I had two conflicting thoughts in my head.

It should be quite good

With Zeldman, Jason Santa Maria and Mandy Brown on board, and Jeremy Keith as writer, I knew that the book — as well as the whole series — should be quite damn good. I’ve admired the work of these people for a long time and I’m always looking forward for what they’re up to next. I’ve learned a lot from their work and writing, so I had no reason no to trust the quality of this new publisher.

I shouldn’t learn that much from it

Like many others, I’ve been learning a lot about HTML5, thanks to Mark Pilgrim, HTML5 Doctor, 24 Ways, WHATWG and many other writers. A Book Apart’s goal is to create brief books to shine a light on a lot of subjects. I was afraid that the book would just be a summary of what I already know.

I was sitting on the fence. Should I spend my money on another book just to learn very little from it? Everyone was getting it, and I’m addicted to books on most web topics, so I caved in and pre-ordered. I got in in the mail and read it in a couple of hours. So, were my predictions correct?

Yes, it’s really good

Yes, I was correct. This is an excellent book in every way. The writing is straight to the point, witty and funny. It’s so easy to read. Keith moves with pace from one subject to the next, makes things clear for the reader, and provides practical examples. I’m OK with technical jargon and programming, but you don’t need to — everyone who writes at least a bit of HTML can read the book. The product page says it best:

The HTML5 spec is 900 pages and hard to read. HTML5 for Web Designers is 85 pages and fun to read. Easy choice.

They’re not lying. The book covers history, rich media, new elements and their semantics, forms and how to start using HTML5 right now. It’s an excellent overview to a complex subject. I really enjoyed how Jeremy Keith made it personal and wasn’t afraid of critiquing some parts of HTML5. The design is also beautiful, doesn’t get it the way, the form factor is perfect and even the paper and packaging are great.

But I needed more than that.

I didn’t learn that much from it

In fact, I didn’t. If you’ve already read lots on HTML5, you won’t learn much more, but you’ll make things a lot clearer in your head. Sure, I learned some very useful things in the book, but most of the time, I wished it was more in-depth. But it isn’t, and for a good reason. It is a really great summary, and I find myself flipping through it again a lot of times because it is short and I know I’ll find what I need.

Sure, I’d love to know more about the delicate differences of strong, em, mark, b and i, or to read a comparison of the many ways to structure a document, à lá Web Standards Solutions. But maybe I’m too obsessed with semantics, and this book isn’t really the place for that.

Zeldman said it best:

Its goal—one it will share with every title in the forthcoming A Book Apart catalog—is to shed clear light on a tricky subject, and do it fast, so you can get back to work.

Their choice is clear and I understand it. Heck, if the book was a 500 page tome, most people wouldn’t even buy it. I have other resources to go look for if I want to go deeper on anything, but I don’t have any other book or website that is as simple and straightforward as this is.

Go get it

Really, you should buy it right now.

If you’re just starting with HTML5, you’ll be grateful. Even if HTML5 is so 2010 to you, you’ll have the best summary on the subject in your hands. It’s a no-brainer.

I look forward to the forthcoming books on the A Book Apart series. And I’m gonna pre-order those immediately.