Lemay has written an excellent introduction to the art of creating Web pages. It is simple and direct, and you can quickly learn how to write reasonably sophisticated Web pages.

Lemay begins with a quick introduction to browsers, and explains some of the basic dos and don’ts. For example, don’t assume everyone has a 21-inch color monitor, and do keep things simple and readable. She discusses how to lay out a Web page, and places a lot of emphasis on being kind to your viewing audience. Unfortunately, too many Web authors ignore her advice.

The sections entitled “Day 2” and “Day 3” cover the bulk of the material (tags, links, and lists) necessary to write a simple HTML file, although “Day 4” covers the fun stuff (images, sound, and video). “Day 5” and the first half of “Day 6” drift off into miscellaneous topics that are useful, but not terribly exciting. The second half of “Day 6” continues the fun stuff (Gateway scripts). The last section, “Day 7,” talks about image maps, which are also high on most web surfers’ fun lists.

Finally, Appendix A provides sources of additional information, such as where to find “Helper Applications,” and Appendix B provides a summary of HTML commands.

Writing HTML code is a fairly simple task, particularly if you are not using scripts. The difficulty seems to be in developing proper Web etiquette. Accordingly, Lemay spends a great deal of time talking about good form and why it is necessary. Overall, she presents the fundamentals of HTML publishing well.

More experienced Web users may find that they are already familiar with the information in some of the chapters. However, I encourage all readers to take heed of Lemay’s suggestions for writing clear and fast-loading Web pages. Lemay partitions the book so that experienced readers can skip ahead without loss of continuity. Inexperienced Web users will enjoy the pace and presentation of the book.

If you are considering writing or publishing a Web document, it would be worth your while to read this book.