SGML books

The following note appeared on the Humanist list. There's a fuller review of SGML books at <http://docker.library.uwa.edu.au/~tburrows/beyondhtml.html>.

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     Date: Thu, 07 Jan 1999 14:46:50 +0800
        From: Toby Burrows <tburrows@library.uwa.edu.au>
        Subject: Recent books: XML, SGML, and Web sites


Recent books: XML, SGML, and Web sites

If the number of books about it is any indication, XML - the eXtensible
Markup Language - is one of the most important recent developments in
computing.  In the last twelve months, no less than 24 books on XML have
been published; another 15 will be appearing in the first half of 1999. The
good news is that XML is expected to revolutionize Web publishing. It is
much more sophisticated and flexible than HTML but less complicated than the
full SGML standard. The bad news is that there is as yet comparatively
little software for creating and viewing XML documents. XML has major
implications for computing in the humanities, but you may prefer to ignore
it until the Web browsers support it. On the other hand, if you want to
anticipate its effects and explore its implications now, here are some
places to start. Most are comparatively technical, but some are more
approachable than others.

Dr Toby Burrows
Scholars' Centre, University of Western Australia
tburrows@library.uwa.edu.au
http://docker.library.uwa.edu.au/~tburrows/



Flynn, Peter.  Understanding SGML and XML tools: practical programs for
handling structured text.  Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1998.  xxvi,
432 p. + 1 CD-ROM.  ISBN 0-7923-8169-6  US$84.00

Flynn introduces and discusses a wide range of software applicable to SGML
and XML documents, including editors, parsers, converters, and viewers. A
selection of these programs - mostly freeware - is on the accompanying
CD-ROM. Though he also provides an introduction to SGML and XML, Flynn's
book is perhaps not the best starting-point for complete novices. But it's a
remarkably valuable and very practical resource for the slightly more
experienced user. A bonus for humanities scholars is the inclusion of
helpful material on the Text Encoding Initiative (TEI).


Goldfarb, Charles F., and Paul Prescod. The XML handbook. Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Prentice-Hall PTR, 1998. xliv, 639 p. + 1 CD-ROM. (Charles F.
Goldfarb series on open information management)  ISBN 0-13-081152-1  US$44.95

Goldfarb - the main force behind the development of SGML - now  turns his
attention to XML. This is really two books in one: an authoritative, if
somewhat technical, exposition of the XML specifications, and a series of
case studies using specific commercial software. The case studies, sponsored
by the software companies involved, are descriptive rather than evaluative,
but they give a good idea of the range of realistic and practical
applications for XML. The accompanying CD-ROM contains no less than 55
different pieces of free software, as well as demonstrations from the
sponsors and copies of XML-related standards and specifications.


Harold, Elliotte Rusty. XML: Extensible Markup Language. Foster City, CA:
IDG Books, 1998. xxiii, 426 p. + 1 CD-ROM. ISBN 0-7645-3199-9  US$39.99

This XML guide is aimed at Web site developers, and assumes a familiarity
with such tools as HTML and JavaScript. Harold provides a thorough, but
fairly technical, explanation of the main features of XML, including the use
and creation of Document Type Definitions (DTDs) and style sheets. Among the
other topics covered are links and pointers, and the Channel Definition
Format (CDF). The full text of the XML specification is included in an
appendix. The accompanying CD-ROM contains the examples from the book.


Jelliffe, Rick. The XML & SGML cookbook: recipes for structured information.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall PTR, 1998. xxvii, 621 p. + 1 CD-ROM.
(Charles F. Goldfarb series on open information management)  ISBN
0-13-614223-0  US$55.00

Document structures and patterns - as expressed in terms of SGML - are
Jelliffe's focus in this book, which is pitched at a specialized technical
level. He discusses techniques for designing and building Document Type
Definitions (DTDs), with helpful advice drawn from practical experience. The
second half of the book deals with character sets and the representation of
special characters in SGML. The accompanying CD-ROM contains the DTDs
developed in the text, as well as various character sets and some SGML- and
XML-based software.


Leventhal, Michael, David Lewis, Matthew Fuchs. Designing XML Internet
applications. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall PTR, 1998. xxxii, 582 p.
+ 1 CD-ROM. (Charles F. Goldfarb series on open information management)
ISBN 0-13-616822-1  US$44.95

Though this book is intended mainly for programmers with experience in
constructing dynamic Web sites, the brisk introduction to XML concepts and
tools could prove very useful for a less technical audience. Leventhal and
his colleagues focus on ways of using Perl and Java to build XML Internet
applications, with six worked examples which include a bulletin board, a
search engine, and a document conversion tool. The explanations are clear
and detailed, and the broader architectural issues are nicely brought out.
The accompanying CD-ROM contains Java and Perl tools, as well as XML
material and software.


McGrath, Sean. XML by example: building e-commerce applications. Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall PTR, 1998. xlviii, 470 p. + 1 CD-ROM.
(Charles F. Goldfarb series on open information management)  ISBN
0-13-960162-7  US$49.95

XML is expected to have a significant impact on electronic commerce. Sean
McGrath's book gives managers and developers of commercial Web sites a
detailed look at the XML specifications, including hypertext links and
formatting with style sheets. He also discusses several current applications
of XML in the area of electronic commerce, as well as looking at the
benefits and commercial advantages of using XML. The accompanying CD-ROM
contains a selection of XML-based software, together with some sample
Document Type Definitions (DTDs) and various documents about XML.


Megginson, David. Structuring XML documents. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Prentice-Hall PTR, 1998. xxxvii, 420 p. + 1 CD-ROM. (Charles F. Goldfarb
series on open information management)  ISBN 0-13-642299-3  US$39.95

Document Type Definitions (DTDs) are crucial to both XML and SGML, and
provide specific markup languages for particular types of documents.
Megginson offers a detailed and exhaustive look at DTDs: how to analyse
them, how to build them or adapt existing models, and how to link DTDs using
the "architectural forms" methodology. Five DTDs are analysed, including
HTML 4.0, the Text Encoding Initiative's TEI-Lite, and ISO 12083 - the
publishing industry's DTD for books, serials, and articles. The treatment is
very thorough, but definitely for experts. The accompanying CD-ROM includes
the five DTDs, plus a selection of XML-related software.


Powell, Thomas A., with David L. Jones and Dominique C. Cutts. Web site
engineering: beyond Web page design. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall
PTR, 1998. x, 324 p. ISBN 0-13-650920-7  US$39.95

As Web sites have grown bigger, their technical characteristics have become
more complex. Dynamic, programmed sites are replacing static collections of
HTML pages. Powell and his co-authors look at ways of designing and
engineering large Web sites, from defining the problem and analysing
requirements through to building, implementation, and testing. With its
pragmatic and realistic approach, pitched at a level which is not too
technical, this is a very valuable guide for managers who need to make
strategic decisions about Web site projects.


Simpson, John E.  Just XML. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall PTR, 1998.
xiv, 381 p. ISBN 0-13-943417-8  US$34.99

Simpson gives a straightforward introduction to the main features of XML,
with plenty of material on links and pointers, and styles and stylesheets.
Document Type Definitions (DTDs) are also covered quite fully. XML-related
software is listed and discussed. An entertaining example runs through the
book: using XML to describe and catalogue "B" movies. This is a clearly
written guide to the basics of XML, which is not overly technical in
approach. But the wider context is not covered: current and future
applications of XML are not examined in any detail, and there is little
attempt to relate it to HTML or SGML.


St. Laurent, Simon. XML: a primer. Foster City, CA.: MIS:Press, 1998. xix,
348 p. ISBN 1-5582-8592-X  US$24.99

St. Laurent's introduction to XML is aimed at people with substantial
experience in using HTML and developing Web sites. Though there is a
succinct explanation of XML's main features - particularly Document Type
Definitions (DTDs) - the main focus is on potential applications for XML,
and on its relationship to existing tools like HTML and Cascading Style
Sheets (CSS). Especially interesting are the author's comments on the likely
effects of XML on Web browser software and the architecture of Web sites.


Tittel, Ed, Norbert Mikula & Ramesh Chandak.  XML for dummies. Foster City,
CA: IDG Books, 1998. xxviii, 377 p. + 1 CD-ROM.  ISBN 0-7645-0360-X  US$29.99

This is one of the best guides to XML for non-technical people. Tittel and
his co-authors provide a lively and clear account of the main features of
XML, as well as a good explanation of its value and its relationship to SGML
and HTML. There is also an extensive look at the ways in which XML is
already being applied in various disciplines. All this is presented in the
familiar "Dummies" style, with easy-to-read layouts and plenty of graphics.
The accompanying CD-ROM contains the text of the book and examples from it,
together with a range of free and evaluation software tools for XML.


Vinf, Danny R.  SGML at work. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall PTR,
1998. xvi, 845 p. + 1 CD-ROM.  ISBN 0-13-636572-8  US$55.00

Vinf covers the major stages of a publishing process based on SGML
documents: developing a Document Type Definition (DTD), converting non-SGML
("legacy") documents, constructing and editing SGML documents, delivering
documents in printed or on-line form, and managing documents. Each section
is closely linked to the use of specific software, with worked examples.
Technical knowledge and familiarity with SGML are assumed. The accompanying
CD-ROM contains a variety of free and shareware software tools, and sample
documents for use with commercial programs.