Programming Books

5 Excellent Free Books to Learn CSS

Last Updated on June 21, 2023

Web pages are built with HTML, which specifies the content of a page. CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is a separate language which specifies a page’s appearance.

CSS code is made of static rules. Each rule takes one or more selectors and gives specific values to a number of visual properties. Those properties are then applied to the page elements indicated by the selectors.

Here’s our recommended books to learn CSS.


1. CSS Animation 101 by Donovan Hutchinson

CSS Animation 101This book gives you a light introduction to the topic, combining theory with practical lessons.

You’ll learn how, and why to use animation on your web pages and hopefully be inspired to try it on your own projects.

After reading the book you should have a sound understanding of CSS animations as well as the tools to create and experiment.

Create your own working environment and look at many examples of animation along the way.

Read the book


2. SMACSS by Jonathan Snook

SMACSS

This useful book covers a number of topics related to CSS architecture.

Chapters cover:

  • Core:
    • Categorizing CSS Rules.
    • Base Rules.
    • Layout Rules.
    • Module Rules.
    • State Rules.
    • Theme Rules.
    • Changing State.
  • Aspects of SMACSS:
    • Depth of Applicability.
    • Selector Performance.
    • HTML5 and SMACSS.
    • Prototyping.
    • Preprocessors.
    • Drop the Base.
    • The Icon Module.
    • Complicated Inheritance.
    • Screencast: Applying the Principles.
    • Screencast: Avoiding Content-specific Context.

Read the book


3. Essential CSS by various authors

Essential CSSEssential CSS is written to provide clear and concise explanation of topics for both beginner and advanced programmers.

Most examples are linked to online playground that allows you to change the code and re-run it.

The content is based on now abandoned StackOverflow Documentation project. It has been heavily edited and improved.

Read the book


4. Google HTML/CSS Style Guide

Google HTML/CSS Style GuideGoogle HTML/CSS Style Guide defines formatting and style rules for HTML and CSS.

It aims at improving collaboration, code quality, and enabling supporting infrastructure. It applies to raw, working files that use HTML and CSS, including GSS files.

Tools are free to obfuscate, minify, and compile as long as the general code quality is maintained.

Read the book


5. CSS3 Succinctly by Peter Shaw

CSS3 SuccinctlyCSS3 Succinctly begins with a basic CSS refresher.

Chapters cover:

  • New Selectors.
  • New Pseudo Selectors.
  • Eye Candy.
  • Color.
  • Web Fonts.
  • Generated Content and Calculations.
  • The Mixed Bag of Tricks.

Read the book


All books in this series:

Free Programming Books
AdaALGOL-like programming language, extended from Pascal and other languages
AgdaDependently typed functional language based on intuitionistic Type Theory
ArduinoInexpensive, flexible, open source microcontroller platform
AssemblyAs close to writing machine code without writing in pure hexadecimal
AwkVersatile language designed for pattern scanning and processing language
BashShell and command language; popular both as a shell and a scripting language
BASICBeginner’s All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code
CGeneral-purpose, procedural, portable, high-level language
C++General-purpose, portable, free-form, multi-paradigm language
C#Combines the power and flexibility of C++ with the simplicity of Visual Basic
ClojureDialect of the Lisp programming language
ClojureScriptCompiler for Clojure that targets JavaScript
COBOLCommon Business-Oriented Language
CoffeeScriptTranscompiles into JavaScript inspired by Ruby, Python and Haskell
CoqDependently typed language similar to Agda, Idris, F* and others
CrystalGeneral-purpose, concurrent, multi-paradigm, object-oriented language
CSSCSS (Cascading Style Sheets) specifies a web page’s appearance
DGeneral-purpose systems programming language with a C-like syntax
DartClient-optimized language for fast apps on multiple platforms
DylanMulti-paradigm language supporting functional and object-oriented coding
ECMAScriptBest known as the language embedded in web browsers
EiffelObject-oriented language designed by Bertrand Meyer
ElixirRelatively new functional language running on the Erlang virtual machine
ErlangGeneral-purpose, concurrent, declarative, functional language
F#Uses functional, imperative, and object-oriented programming methods
FactorDynamic stack-based programming language
ForthImperative stack-based programming language
FortranThe first high-level language, using the first compiler
GoCompiled, statically typed programming language
GroovyPowerful, optionally typed and dynamic language
HaskellStandardized, general-purpose, polymorphically, statically typed language
HTMLHyperText Markup Language
IconWide variety of features for processing and presenting symbolic data
JArray programming language based primarily on APL
JavaGeneral-purpose, concurrent, class-based, object-oriented, high-level language
JavaScriptInterpreted, prototype-based, scripting language
JuliaHigh-level, high-performance language for technical computing
KotlinMore modern version of Java
LabVIEWDesigned to enable domain experts to build power systems quickly
LaTeXProfessional document preparation system and document markup language
LispUnique features - excellent to study programming constructs
LogoDialect of Lisp that features interactivity, modularity, extensibility
LuaDesigned as an embeddable scripting language
MarkdownPlain text formatting syntax designed to be easy-to-read and easy-to-write
Objective-CObject-oriented language that adds Smalltalk-style messaging to C
OCamlThe main implementation of the Caml language
PascalImperative and procedural language designed in the late 1960s
PerlHigh-level, general-purpose, interpreted, scripting, dynamic language
PHPPHP has been at the helm of the web for many years
PostScriptInterpreted, stack-based and Turing complete language
PrologA general purpose, declarative, logic programming language
PureScriptSmall strongly, statically typed language compiling to JavaScript
PythonGeneral-purpose, structured, powerful language
QMLHierarchical declarative language for user interface layout - JSON-like syntax
RDe facto standard among statisticians and data analysts
RacketGeneral-purpose, object-oriented, multi-paradigm, functional language
RakuMember of the Perl family of programming languages
RubyGeneral purpose, scripting, structured, flexible, fully object-oriented language
RustIdeal for systems, embedded, and other performance critical code
ScalaModern, object-functional, multi-paradigm, Java-based language
SchemeA general-purpose, functional language descended from Lisp and Algol
ScratchVisual programming language designed for 8-16 year-old children
SQLAccess and manipulate data held in a relational database management system
Standard MLGeneral-purpose functional language characterized as "Lisp with types"
SwiftPowerful and intuitive general-purpose programming language
TclDynamic language based on concepts of Lisp, C, and Unix shells
TeXMarkup and programming language - create professional quality typeset text
TypeScriptStrict syntactical superset of JavaScript adding optional static typing
ValaObject-oriented language, syntactically similar to C#
VHDLHardware description language used in electronic design automation
VimLPowerful scripting language of the Vim editor
XMLRules for defining semantic tags describing structure ad meaning
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