The number of available web design books is exploding. Do you need help finding the good ones? Well my friend I'm here to help...

I've created two pages of web design book recommendations for your use. This page is the first - you can find the second page here.

I strongly recommend reading the customer reviews at amazon.com for any book that interests you. Web design books typically elicit a love it or hate it response from readers because each of our expectations are so different. You'll definitely get a better sense of whether a particular web design book is right for you by reading the reviews.

All the links take you to amazon.com where you can read more thorough descriptions, read customer reviews, and safely purchase any of these great web design books.

Creating Killer Web Sites, Second Edition by David Siegel

This is one of the most talked about books on web design. Its author is either loved or despised...

If you find you can accept his ego you'll likely enjoy his dictates on what is good design. On the other hand, if you're the kind of person strongly put off by other people's overflowing egos, you'll probably find that Siegel the pompous ass gets in the way of his own ideas. ( Someone has even made a website about David Siegel's ego - you can find it here ).

Nevertheless, because this has been a very influential book, any serious student of the web design should be well versed in its theories - you don't have to agree with them. I personally don't agree with his lack of emphasis on site content - you get the feeling he thinks it is secondary to good layout. I also believe he puts too much emphasis on typography. It is an emphasis that no doubt reflects his background in conventional graphic design. This being said I have learned alot from David Siegel and I hope you will too.

The Non-Designer's Web Book : An Easy Guide to Creating, Designing, and Posting Your Own Web Site by Robin Williams, John Tollett (Contributor)

Are you a beginner when it comes to web design? We all have to start someplace and if you're looking for a basic book on web design this could be just what you need. It is intended for beginners. It's focus is on helping you create and get a site online. It assumes you'll use a program like Adobe PageMill, Claris Home Page, or Microsoft FrontPage to create your pages rather than from scratch with HTML. It is organized a bit like a course with quizzes at the end of each chapter. They help you make sure you understand the essentials prior to proceeding to the next chapter.

The book treats the subject matter a little more seriously than Creating Web Pages for Dummies (3rd Ed) by Bud E. Smith and Arthur Bebak. For instance, The Non-Designer's Web Book assumes you'll enjoy learning without a couple of stupid jokes on every page. If you need jokes to learn get the book for dummies.

HTML 4 for the World Wide Web: Visual QuickStart Guide by Elizabeth Castro

At the time I'm writing this, this book ranked 29th in sales of all books at amazon.com! The reason: It is good. It is a comprehensive guide to using HTML. The book is suitable for the beginner but it also an excellent reference for the professional. The reason: Each topic is concise, well structured, and well written - qualities needed by readers no matter their experience. The other thing that makes it good for beginners is that assumes no prior knowledge of HTML.

Secrets of Successful Web Sites : Project Management on the World Wide Web by David Siegel

This book is by the same David Siegel who wrote the first book above. It covers ground not addressed in his Killer Web Sites book. The book provides you with an overview of what's involved in creating a larger site - ones where there are contractual responsibilities, demanding clients, budgets, and schedules.

A number of sites are used as case studies which, while now quite dated, are enlightening on the processes involved in their creation. The book's strength is that it explains that successfully managing a larger web project requires well developed business skills and not just good intentions.

Here's a tip: If you are a web developer with a client who fails to appreciate the amount of work and skills that go into creating a successful site - buy the client a copy of this book and lock them in a room until they've read it.