Web Design

Learning Web Design: A Beginner's Guide to (X)HTML, StyleSheets, and Web Graphics
$44.99
I felt the need to express how well written this book is for the beginning web designer. The author doesn't bog the reader down with overly complex examples of code. I've been designing web pages using Dreamweaver for a few years now and never bothered with the code. I've always created my content in Photoshop and just dropped the images into the software. After reading through this book, I am not only able to simplify my web pages through code editing, but also, was able to optimize my graphics content.
Right now, I am now trudging through a book to learn JavaScript. I am getting through the book, but not nearly as easily as I did the Learning Web Design book. To be fair, the subject is a bit more complex, but the way that the JavaScript book is written causes me to have to constantly look up unexplained technical terms and syntax of the code examples to figure out why they work. I never had to do that with the Learning Web Design book.

Web Design in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference (In a Nutshell (O'Reilly))
$34.99
This is a great desk reference book! While it is a challenging book to read, I know it will come in super handy when I need to find the answer to a specific technical question!

The Web Designer's Idea Book: The Ultimate Guide To Themes, Trends & Styles In Website Design
$25.00
This is a great book for inspiration when your well is running dry. I recommend it as a necessary addition to any graphic designer's collection. The only reason I gave it a 4 out of 5 is because one of the sites mentioned & included on the cover has errors (the bottom left corner, second one from the left). It contains bad CSS and visibly shows a a background for the navigation that is a few pixels too far to the left.

Otherwise, great book.

Web Design For Dummies, 2nd Edition
$24.99
This book starts with no (or very little) knowledge of web design, and does a good job of covering the basics. One could fashion a basic website using only this book as reference. Advanced topics would require further reference, but this is certainly a solid foundation.