Information Technology
The Internet
 Ernest Ackerman and Karen Hartman, Internet Today! Email, searching, and the World Wide Web, Chicago & London: Franklin, Beedle & Associates, 1999, pp.302, ISBN 1579581943
Guide to practical Internet basics with questions and exercises, aimed at college students.
Review HERE
Brian Austin, Using the Internet, Warwickshire (UK): Computer
Step, 2000, pp.512, ISBN 1840781106
Pocket-book guide to getting on line, searching the Internet, email techniques, newsgroups, making your own web pages, and understanding how it all works.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/austin-3.htm
Sven Birkerts, The Gutenberg Elegies: The Fate of
Reading in an Electronic Age, Fawcett Columbine,
1994, ISBN 0449910091
Technophobic defense of reading printed books - which Nicolas Negroponte calls 'ink squeezed onto dead trees'.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/birkerts.htm
Kiersten Conner and Ed Krol, The Whole Internet: The Next Generation, Sebastopol: O'Reilly, 1999, pp.576, ISBN 1565924282
Latest version of best-selling practical guide to how the Internet works. Includes emailing, searching, spam-busting, e-commerce, ftp, and trouble-shooting.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/krol.htm
Robert X. Cringley, Accidental Empires,
Addison-Wesley/Viking, 2nd edition, 1996, pp.358,
ISBN 0-14-025826-4
Insider account of the early years of computer and Internet development. Takes swashbuckling and irreverent view of Big Names.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/cringely.htm
Chris DiBona et al, Open Sources: Voices from the Open Source Revolution, Sebastopol: O'Reilly, 1999, pp.272, ISBN 15659258237
Collection of essays written by leading figures in the 'free software' movement. An IT futurist manifesto.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/dibona.htm
Esther Dyson, Release 2.0: A design for living in
the digital age, Viking: London, 1997, pp.307, ISBN
0670876003.
Business investment advisor considers the social implications of IT and the Net for education, citizenship, and commerce.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/dyson.htm
Bill Gates, The Road Ahead, Viking, 1996, pp.332,
ISBN 0140260404
Chairman Bill's upbeat digital enthusiasm following an (undeclared) conversion to all things Net. It's very easy to read.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/gates.htm
David Gauntlett, Web.Studies: Rewiring media studies for
the digital age, London: Arnold, 2000, pp.250, ISBN 0340760494
Collection of academic 'media studies' essays on practical examples of how the Web is being used - from self-expression homepages, through teaching and learning, to exhibitionist Webcams, ethnography, and even site log analyses. Good Webographies.
Review - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/gauntlet.htm
Danny Goodman, Living at Light Speed: your
survival guide to life on the information
superhighway, Random House, 1995. pp.244, ISBN
0099649314
An early example of 'Life in the Net lane' which is worth looking up, because it takes a sceptical approach without being Luddite.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/goodman.htm
Gordon Graham, The Internet: a philosophical
inquiry, Routledge, 1999, pp.179, ISBN
041519749X
Professional academic philosopher looks at the common IT issues of censorship, pornography, copyright, and related moral problems.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/graham.htm
Katie Hafner and Matthew Lyon, Where Wizards Stay
Up Late: the origins of the Internet, Simon &
Schuster, 1998, pp.304, ISBN 0684832674
Vivid account of the early years of computer and Net development. Focuses on the scientific and technological issues.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/hafner.htm
Charles Jonscher, WiredLife, Bantam Press, 1999,
pp.245, ISBN 0593043154
Sceptical thoughts on the nature of life in the digital age. Argues that a traditional approach should be kept alive.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/jonscher.htm
Angus J. Kennedy, The Internet: The Rough Guide, London: Rough Guides, 1999, pp. 502, ISBN 1858283434
Best-selling cheap and cheerful pocket guide to how it works and what's available. Ideal for beginners.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/kennedy.htm
Tim Berners-Lee, Weaving the Web, London: Orion Business Books, 1999, pp.234, ISBN 0752820907
First hand account of the history of the World Wide Web and its future - from the man who invented it.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/lee.htm
Jim McClellan, The Guardian Guide to the Internet, London: Fourth Estate, 1999, pp.448, ISBN 1841152366
One of the cheap and cheerful pocket guides.
Details -
http://www.amazon.co.uk
John Naughton, A Brief History of the Future: The Origins of the Internet, London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1999, pp. 320, ISBN 0297643304
Full historical account of Internet development re-told in upbeat manner by Open University course author.
Details -
http://www.amazon.co.uk
Nicholas Negroponte, Being Digital, Hodder &
Stoughton, 1995, pp. 243, ISBN 0340645253
Expanded versions of Negroponte's thought-provoking column in WIRED. Future potential of the Net from the head of development at the MIT multi-media laboratory. Punchy and stimulating.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/negro.htm
Geoff Preston, The Internet in Easy Steps, Warwickshire: Computer Step,
2000, pp.384, ISBN: 1840780665
A beginner's guide to getting online and using email, web browsers, Internet Relay Chat, and other basics. Written in simple, jargon-free language, and well illustrated.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/preston.htm
Eric S. Raymond, The Cathedral and the Bazaar:
Musings on Linux and Open Source by an
Accidental Revolutionary, Sebastopol: O'Reilly,
1999, pp.268, ISBN 1565927249
Essays on the rise of the Open Sources movement and the development of Linux - a challenge to the monopoly of Microsoft.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/raymond.htm
|
|
Computers
David L. Farquhar, Optimising Windows for Games, Graphics & Multimedia, Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly, 2000, pp.278 ISBN: 1565926773
Technical manual offering tips, settings, and performance-tweaking to speed up your computer. Also helps you understand operating systems, disk architecture, and memory.
Review - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/farquhar.htm
Rick Maybury, Boot Up: The Daily Telegraph Beginner's Guide to Computers and Computing, London: Orion Business Books, 1999, pp. 185, ISBN 0752820990
Based on popular weekly column of answers to frequently asked questions. Includes a guide to all the basics.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/maybury.htm
Rick Maybury, Boot Up Projects: The Daily Telegraph Guide to Doing Something Useful with your Computer, London: Orion Business Books, 2000, pp. 191, ISBN 1842030167
Putting your PC to good use - produce your own
stationery, organize finances, make a screensaver, create a newsletter, design a web site, and upgrade by adding memory and
a DVD player.
Review - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/maybury2.htm
Peter Norton and John Goodman, Peter Norton's
'Inside the PC', (seventh edition) Sams, 1998,
pp.721, ISBN 0672310414
Excellent and fully comprehensive guide to how the PC works. Especially good on memory, disk architecture, and operating systems. Includes tips on repairs and upgrading.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/goodman2.htm
Tim O'Reilley and Troy Mott, Windows 95 in a
Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference, Sebastopol (CA): O'Reilly
and Associates, 1998, pp.504, ISBN 1565923162
Concise guide for those who want an advanced understanding of how Win95 really works. Includes clever tips and shortcuts.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/oreilly.htm
Michael Price, Windows 98 in Easy Steps, Birmingham: Computer Step, 1999, pp.384, ISBN 1840780304
Cheap and cheerful introduction to the new Microsoft operating system, with lots of screenshots illustrating its new features.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/price.htm
Mitchell Shnier, Dictionary of PC Hardware and
Data Communications Terms, Sebastopol (CA): O'Reilly &
Associates, 1996, pp.516, ISBN 1565921585.
Excellent source of reference if you intend to take IT seriously. Full technical explanations, but kind to beginners.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/shnier.htm
Robert Bruce Thompson & Barbara Fritchman Thompson, PC
Hardware in a Nutshell, Sebastopol (CA): O'Reilly, pp.501, 2000,
ISBN 1565925998
Practical guide to buying parts for repairing, upgrading, and even building computers. Hands-on, D-I-Y advice, and particularly good on judging prices.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/thompson.htm
|
|
Web Site Design
Brian Austin, Web Page Design, Warwickshire: Computer Step, second edition, 2000, pp.192, ISBN 1840780398
Beginner's manual which explains the basic principles without being too technical. Sound advice, with no HTML coding.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/austin-2.htm
Steve Callihan, Learn HTML in a Weekend, Rocklin, CA: Prima
Publishing, 1999, pp. 409, ISBN 0761518002
Beginner's tutorial manual which explains the basic principles in easy stages. Well illustrated - and you can take it at your own pace.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/callihan.htm
Robert Eckstein, XML Pocket Reference, Sebastopol (CA): O'Reilly, 1999, pp.107, ISBN 1565927095
Brief introduction and (literally) pocket-sized reference to new coding standard which permits customised page markup.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/eckstein.htm
Vincent Flanders and Michael Willis, Web Pages That Suck, San Francisco (CA): Sybex International, 1998, pp.384, ISBN 078212187X
Web page design tutorials which use bad design examples to teach good principles. Print version of very successful web site. Best-seller.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/flanders.htm
Jennifer Fleming, Web Navigation: Designing the User
Experience, Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly, 1998, pp.253,
ISBN 1565923510
Excellent guide to the principles of web design and navigation. Focuses on information architecture plus site usability effectiveness rather than HTML coding.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/fleming.htm
Elliotte Rusty Harold & W. Scott Means, XML in a Nutshell,
Sebastopol CA, O'Reilly, 2001, pp.480, ISBN 0596000588
Encyclopedic manual to all aspects of the new markup language in which tags can be created by the user to suit the purpose.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/harold.htm
Bob Hughes, Dust or Magic: Secrets of Successful Multimedia Design, London: Addison-Wesley, 2000, pp.264, ISBN 0201360713
Amusing and thought-provoking study of working on multimedia projects - from web design to CD-ROM and interactive video.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/hughes-2.htm
Peter Kent, Poor Richard's Web Site: Geek-free,
Commonsense Advice on Building a Low Cost Web Site,
Colorado: Top Floor, pp.424, ISBN
0966103289
Best-selling guide to building and running a low cost web site. Written for beginners, and packed with good advice, short-cuts, and sources of free information, services, and software.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/kent.htm
Marianne Krcma, Web Site Wizardry, Scottsdale AZ: Coriolis Group
Books, 1996, pp.413, ISBN 188357787X
Lively introduction to web site design, with an emphasis on tables, graphics, forms, and image maps. Lots of tips and tricks. Good for beginners.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/krchma.htm
Laura Lemay, Teach yourself Web Publishing with
HTML 4 in 21 Days, Sams, 1998, pp.795, ISBN
0672313456
Best-selling guide, famous for the clarity of its explanations. Full of good examples and sound advice. Particularly good for beginners.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/lemay.htm
Hakon Lie and Bert Bos, Cascading Style Sheets: Designing for the Web, New York/London: Addison-Wesley, (second edition) 1999, pp.432, ISBN 0201596253
Introduction and full explanation of style sheets, written by the guys who invented them. Stiff prose, but very thorough.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/lie-bos.htm
Patrick J. Lynch and Sarah Horton, Web Style Guide,
New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999, ISBN 0300076754
Excellent web site design guide. Originally written for medical students at Yale. No HTML coding: concentrates instead on design principles and navigation.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/lynch.htm
Teresa A. Martin, Project Cool Guide to XML for Web Designers, London-New York: John Wiley, pp.298, ISBN 047134401X
XML is a set of codes which allow users to define the structure of documents. These tags mean that data can be displayed in whatever way you choose. This is a good, straightforward guide to the topic.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/martin.htm
Eric A. Meyer, Cascading Style Sheets: The Definitive Guide,
Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly, 2000, pp.453, ISBN 1565926226
Another classic from O'Reilly Associates - a clear and well-articulated guide to the latest specifications. These allow you to add colour, depth, and font-decoration to your pages.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/meyer.htm
Chuck Musciano and Bill Kennedy, HTML & XHTML: The
Definitive Guide, Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly, 2000,
pp.587, ISBN 1565924924.
The very best of HTML, and an introduction to XHTML. Detailed explanations of all aspects of coding, well illustrated with examples. Advanced level resource.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/muscian4.htm
Chuck Musciano and Bill Kennedy, HTML: The
Definitive Guide, third edition, Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly, 1998,
pp.587, ISBN 1565924924.
The very best of HTML manuals. Detailed explanations of all aspects of coding, well illustrated with examples. Advanced level resource.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/muscian3.htm
Jennifer Niederst, Designing for the Web: getting
started in a new medium, O'Reilly & Associates,
1996, pp.166, ISBN 1565921658
Excellent beginner's guide which focuses on graphics.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/niederst.htm
Jennifer Niederst, Web Design in a Nutshell, Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly & Associates,
1996, pp.560, ISBN 1565925157
Fully comprehensive reference and guide to all aspects of web page design. Covers HTML code, tables, frames, style sheets, graphics, audio, video, and JavaScripts.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/nieder-2.htm
Jennifer Niederst, HTML Pocket Reference, Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly & Associates,
2000, pp.92, ISBN 1565925793
Bare-bones reference guide, covering all the HTML code in its latest Standard 4.0 specification.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/nieder-3.htm
Jakob Nielsen, Designing Web Usability, Indianapolis, Ind: New Riders, 2000, pp.420, ISBN: 156205810X
Masterclasses on the construction of functional web sites from a leading guru in the field of information design. Illustrated, opinionated, riveting.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/nielsen.htm
Louis Rosenfeld and Peter Morville, Information
Architecture for the World Wide Web, Sebastopol (CA):
O'Reilly, 1998, ISBN 1565922824
Advanced level web design concepts, focussing on the principles of efficient labelling, searching, and navigational aids.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/rosen.htm
David Siegel, Creating Killer Web Sites: the art of third-generation site design, (2nd edn) Indianapolis: Hayden, 1997, pp.306, ISBN
1568304331
Glamorous best-selling guide to flashy graphics and maximising screen drama, but with some very simple, useful tips thrown in.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/siegel.htm
Dave Taylor, Creating Cool HTML 4 Web Pages,
IDG Books, 1998, pp.433, ISBN 0764532014
Fully comprehensive, but written in a friendly manner, with good illustrations and examples of HTML code. Strong on graphics and useful design tips.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/taylor2.htm
Edward Tufte, Visual explanations. Images and quantities,
evidence and narrative, Cheshire (CT): Graphics Press.
ISBN: 0961392126
Tufte is a guru of information design. If you are interested in how data can be presented, do yourself a favour and see one of his beautiful self-produced books.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/tufte-01.htm
Nick Vandome, Dreamweaver in Easy Steps, Warwickshire: Computer Step, 2001, pp.192, ISBN 1840781173
Cheap and cheerful guide to using an HTML editor which is popular with amateurs and professionals alike.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/vandome.htm
Jeffrey Veen, The Art & Science of Web Design, Indianapolis (IN): New Riders, 2001, pp.259, ISBN 0789723700
Thoughtful insights on how and why the Web works as it does - with analyses of successful sites and tips on how to design pages which are user-friendly and quick downloading.
Review - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/veen.htm
|
|
Writing and Technology
John W. Davies, Communication for Engineering
Students, Longman, 1996, pp.167, ISBN
0582256488
Written for first and second-year undergraduates. Gentle hand-holding manner and clear explanations.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/davies.htm
Jane Dorner, The Internet - A Writer's Guide, London: A & C Black, 2000, pp.200, ISBN 071365192X
An introduction to new forms of writing, using electronic media. Suitable for all types of author. Very good list of resources.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/dorner-2.htm
H. Ramsey Fowler and Jane E. Aaron, Little, Brown
Handbook, (7th edn) Longman, 1998, pp.882, ISBN
0321037979
The encyclopedia of all writing guides. This one will see you through to post-graduate studies and beyond.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/fowler.htm
Andrew Harnack and Eugene Kleppinger, Online! a
reference guide to using Internet sources, New
York: St Martin's Press, 1997, pp.162, ISBN
0312150237
First guide to academic writing for the Net, and probably still best. Covers, writing, searching, and even web design. Compact, cheap, excellent.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/harnack.htm
Roy Johnson, Electronic Writing: from word-processors to the Internet, Manchester: Clifton Press, 1996, pp.127, ISBN 0951984462
Covers word-processing, DTP, an explanation of digital text, email, and an
introduction to hypertext, including writing for the Web. Clear explanations in non-technical language.
Details -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/books/electron.htm
Mike Sharples, How We Write: Writing as creative design, London: Routledge, 1999, pp.224, ISBN 0415185874
Study of the process of writing - from the stages of inspiration, through composition, to editing and revision. Well illustrated with examples from various forms of writing.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/sharples.htm
Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term
Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 6th edition,
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987, pp.300,
ISBN 0226816273
US-based best-selling resource for academic writing. Full of good examples . Includes writing for new electronic media.
Review -
http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/turban.htm
|
