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Books Giveaway: Comment and Win!

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Over the last weeks we have again selected dozens of useful development and web design-related books, we’ve bought all of them and we wanted to give them all away to our readers — for free. Unfortunately, it turned out that some books were unavailable, some were sold out and some are still waiting for the next edition. Consequently, we’ve decided to give away at least the books which are available now and keep the rest for future give-aways.

Well, why would we do that? Basically, for four reasons:

  1. we truly appreciate our readers’ support, trust and interest and we want to give something back,
  2. we want to make the Web a better place and encourage designers to help us in achieving this aim,
  3. we like to smash things,
  4. and well, we can afford it.

In this post we are giving away 8 professional web design-related books — the books cover the topics CSS, usability, user interface design, innovation, web navigation, web form design and JavaScript programming. Hopefully, the winners of the books will be able to widen their horizon in web development and create more effective, more user-friendly and more beautiful web designs.

Please keep in mind: the Smashing Style Switchers Contest is running — design a style switcher, submit a comment to our post and and you can win an Apple Cinema 20 Flat Panel Display.

How can I participate?

To participate, you have to

  1. choose one book in the table below which you like most,
  2. write something nice in the comment to this post (one word is enough) and write the number of the book on the next line.

Please notice that

  • participants can post comments until the 14th of June 2008. The comments will be closed on the 15th of June at 00:01 CET.
  • the winners will be determined by a random generator; for each book only the group of visitors who’d like to have the same book will be considered,
  • only participants who’ve selected one book can participate
  • make sure that you fill your e-mail in the comment field correctly, so we can contact you afterwards.

Books You Can Win

#CoverTitle

by Author

Description
11 in Books Giveaway: Comment and Win!Transcending CSS
by Andy Clarke
The fine art of web design. Find out how creative designers learn to be artistic yet functional.
22 in Books Giveaway: Comment and Win!Designing the Obvious: A Common Sense Approach to Web Application Design

by Robert Hoekman

The book offers practical advice about how to achieve the quality of successful web-based applications and consistently and successfully reproduce them.
33 in Books Giveaway: Comment and Win!Designing for the Social Web
by Joshua Porter
Learn how to design effective, user-centric social web-applications.
44 in Books Giveaway: Comment and Win!About Face 3: The Essentials of Interaction Design
by Alan Cooper
Presents the effective and practical tools you need to design great desktop applications, Web 2.0 sites, and mobile devices.
55 in Books Giveaway: Comment and Win!The Myths of Innovation
by Scott Berkun
This book reveals how ideas truly become successful innovations — truths that people can apply to today’s challenges.
66 in Books Giveaway: Comment and Win!Designing Web Navigation: Optimizing the User Experience
by James Kalbach
Learn how to design web site navigation properly: how to let people find information and guide them through it.
77 in Books Giveaway: Comment and Win!

Web Form Design: Filling in the Blanks
by Luke Wroblewski
Learn how to design effective and engaging Web forms.
88 in Books Giveaway: Comment and Win!

The JavaScript Anthology: 101 Essential Tips, Tricks & Hacks
by Cameron Adams
Shows how to apply JavaScript to solve over 101 common Web Development challenges.

1. Transcending CSS

Transcending CSS by Andy Clarke

1 in Books Giveaway: Comment and Win!

The Web has changed, and so has the art of creating web sites. Few visual designers are natural programmers, and as a result, visualizing how to work with markup, CSS and a range of programmatic techniques to create beautiful design is difficult.

To make things more complicated, most web design teaching materials focus on the technical rather than the creative. Countless resources and guides focus on semantics, compliance, and validity. While these are all important, they mean little to the creative designer who wants to impress his or her clients and employers with exceptional design without worrying that the way they approach the design will be compromised by creativity-limiting technical issues. So how do creative designers learn to be artistic yet functional? With Transcending CSS: The Fine Art of Web Design.

2. Designing the Obvious

Designing the Obvious: A Common Sense Approach to Web Application Design by Robert Hoekman

2 in Books Giveaway: Comment and Win!
Source

Designing the Obvious explores the character traits of successful Web applications and uses them as guiding principles of application design so the end result of every project instills customer satisfaction and loyalty. These principles include building only whats necessary, getting users up to speed quickly, preventing and handling errors, and designing for the activity. Designing the Obvious does not offer a one-size-fits-all development process — in fact, it lets you use whatever process you like. Instead, it offers practical advice about how to achieve the qualities of great Web-based applications and consistently and successfully reproduce them.

3. Designing for the Social Web

Designing for the Social Web by Joshua Porter

3 in Books Giveaway: Comment and Win!

No matter what type of web site or application you are building, social interaction among the people who use it will be key to its success. They will talk about it, invite their friends, complain, sing its high praises, and dissect it in countless ways. With the right design strategy you can use this social interaction to get people signing up, coming back regularly, and bringing others into the fold. With examples from real-world interfaces and a touch of the underlying social psychology theory, Joshua Porter shows you how to design your next great social web application.

4. About Face 3: The Essentials of Interaction Design

About Face 3: The Essentials of Interaction Design by Alan Cooper

4 in Books Giveaway: Comment and Win!

Alan Cooper is a professional designer, specialized on software design, and all his knowledge is represented in this book. He makes emphasis on Goal-Directed Design, meaning that goals, not features, are the key to the product success. This technique is based on the use of personas and scenarios to conduct user research. Goals are explained in three categories, experience goals, end goals and life goals.

This volume presents the effective and practical tools you need to design great desktop applications, Web 2.0 sites, and mobile devices. This book will teach you the principles of good product behavior and introduce you to Cooper’s Goal-Directed Design method, from conducting user research to defining your product using personas and scenarios. In short, About Face 3 will show you how to design effective digital products and services.

5. The Myths of Innovation

The Myths of Innovation by Scott Berkun

5 in Books Giveaway: Comment and Win!

How do you know whether a hot technology will succeed or fail? Or where the next big idea will come from? The best answers come not from the popular myths we tell about innovation, but instead from time-tested truths that explain how we’ve made it this far. This book shows the way.

In The Myths of Innovation, Scott Berkun takes a careful look at innovation history, including the software and Internet Age, to reveal how ideas truly become successful innovations — truths that people can apply to today’s challenges. Using dozens of examples from the history of technology, business, and the arts, you’ll learn how to convert the knowledge you have into ideas that can change the world.

6. Designing Web Navigation

Designing Web Navigation: Optimizing the User Experience by James Kalbach

6 in Books Giveaway: Comment and Win!

Thoroughly rewritten for today’s web environment, this book offers a fresh look at a fundamental topic of site navigation design. Amid all the changes to the Web in the past decade, the basic problems of creating a good web navigation system remain. Designing Web Navigation demonstrates that good navigation is not about technology — it’s about the ways people find information, and how you guide them.

7. Web Form Design: Filling in the Blanks

Web Form Design: Filling in the Blanks by Luke Wroblewski

7 in Books Giveaway: Comment and Win!

Forms make or break the most crucial online interactions: checkout (commerce), registration (community), data input (participation and sharing), and any task requiring information entry. In Web Form Design, Luke Wroblewski draws on original research, his considerable experience at Yahoo! and eBay, and the perspectives of many of the field’s leading designers to show you what you need to know about designing effective and engaging Web forms.

8. The JavaScript Anthology

The JavaScript Anthology: 101 Essential Tips, Tricks & Hacks by Cameron Adams

8 in Books Giveaway: Comment and Win!

Using a cookbook approach, The JavaScript Anthology will show you how to apply JavaScript to solve over 101 common Web Development challenges. You’ll discover how to optimize your code so that it runs faster, create Ajax applications with the XmlHttpRequest object, validate web forms to improve usability, take control of your web pages with the DOM, ensure that your JavaScript code is accessible and create slick drop-down menu systems.

Included in this book is extensive coverage of DHTML and Ajax, including how-to create and customize advanced effects such as draggable elements, dynamically sorting data in a Web Browser, advanced menu systems, retrieving data from a Web Server using XMLHttpRequest and more. The JavaScript Anthology also includes extensive coverage of object oriented coding, efficient script design, accessibility, and cross-browser issues.

The team here at Smashing Magazine. Mostly Sven & Vitaly.

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  1. 3751
    JD
    June 13th, 2008 11:57 am

    Every day’s a smashing day when smashing magazine appears!

    Congrats on the much deserved award, guys!

    #1

  2. 3752
    Windy Phillips
    June 13th, 2008 12:19 pm

    Great site. You guys are a wonderful resource. Thanks for the contest. :)
    7

  3. 3753
    Joe Oberster
    June 13th, 2008 12:24 pm

    necessary comment

    but seriously…awesome

  4. 3754
    Misa
    June 13th, 2008 12:28 pm

    Truly fantabulous!
    8

  5. 3755
    dB
    June 13th, 2008 12:37 pm

    Thanks
    #5

  6. 3756
    James
    June 13th, 2008 12:42 pm

    Smashing Rocks!
    #8

  7. 3757
    Wendy
    June 13th, 2008 12:59 pm

    Would love this title.

  8. 3758
    Shaoren
    June 13th, 2008 1:14 pm

    Smashing Magazine, great!
    #5

  9. 3759
    joeri.cochuyt
    June 13th, 2008 1:17 pm

    something very nice comes here… there it is!
    1

  10. 3760
    gintro
    June 13th, 2008 1:23 pm

    One resource that fits them all: smashingmagazine.com
    5

  11. 3761
    Ishmael
    June 13th, 2008 1:41 pm

    Great site, love all the useful articles and freebies. How do you guys make money?
    4

  12. 3762
    Jan
    June 13th, 2008 1:44 pm

    Fantastic Site!
    2

  13. 3763
    Typh
    June 13th, 2008 1:45 pm

    Smashing Magazine always brightens my work day. No- seriously. I love you folks.
    3

  14. 3764
    Mar
    June 13th, 2008 1:51 pm

    Grx
    #8

  15. 3765
    Pedro Valentim
    June 13th, 2008 1:57 pm

    Very nice!

    1

  16. 3766
    Tonya Slatt
    June 13th, 2008 2:10 pm

    #1 transcendent

  17. 3767
    Nad
    June 13th, 2008 2:21 pm

    One word … smashingmagazine

  18. 3768
    heh
    June 13th, 2008 2:25 pm

    SM you scared me !

    1

  19. 3769
    Amy
    June 13th, 2008 2:34 pm

    Books are cool!

    1

  20. 3770
    Jordi
    June 13th, 2008 3:01 pm

    I like this books!!

    3

  21. 3771
    Eduardo Cruz
    June 13th, 2008 3:13 pm

    You said free books? :B
    #8

  22. 3772
    Ammar Osama
    June 13th, 2008 3:58 pm

    4 Web Form Design: Filling in the Blanks
    —————————————
    WOW 3768 comment… how could I win ?!!!

  23. 3773
    Brian Hochhalter
    June 13th, 2008 4:41 pm

    ¡Que chiva! Planning to do any analysis on the resulting “I’d like this one” data?
    3

  24. 3774
    Dan Mastrapa
    June 13th, 2008 4:46 pm

    You guys are amazing!
    1

  25. 3775
    Greg Ponchak
    June 13th, 2008 5:21 pm

    they all look great
    but i’d like 5
    Thanks ;)

  26. 3776
    scott campbell
    June 13th, 2008 5:59 pm

    You guys are extremely helpful. Thanks for keeping the standards high.
    1

  27. 3777
    wendy phillips
    June 13th, 2008 6:10 pm

    I saw Robert speak at web UX in Melbourne about 2 weeks ago and he was one of the best speakers with a really interesting presentation, and I’d like to read more of his work #2

  28. 3778
    Meghna
    June 13th, 2008 8:10 pm

    Great Collection!
    3

  29. 3779
    MJ
    June 13th, 2008 8:12 pm

    Smashing Collection! Very Helpful

  30. 3780
    Megz
    June 13th, 2008 8:14 pm

    Great Books.. Thanks!
    3

  31. 3781
    Mohsen Aghajani
    June 13th, 2008 8:36 pm

    This is great!
    2

  32. 3782
    Douglas Selby
    June 13th, 2008 8:50 pm

    I enjoy reading the posts and gleaning great info from you guys! Appreciate it!
    1

  33. 3783
    Reza
    June 13th, 2008 8:52 pm

    Nice harekat!
    7

  34. 3784
    jc
    June 13th, 2008 9:25 pm

    Very good.
    6

  35. 3785
    Anthony
    June 13th, 2008 9:28 pm

    If you guys were Cheetos, I’d put you in my mouth.
    Book #1

  36. 3786
    kamekie
    June 13th, 2008 10:06 pm

    thanks! cam on! arigatou! xie xie! kamsahamnida! grazie!

    book #6 please.

  37. 3787
    Jeremy Jackson
    June 13th, 2008 11:45 pm

    #1 Thanks!

  38. 3788
    Mohammad alshaikh
    June 14th, 2008 12:05 am

    all books are good..
    4

  39. 3789
    Jimbo
    June 14th, 2008 12:32 am

    thank you for this great offer! Love your Mag (and thats the truth!)
    1

  40. 3790
    Vikram Haer
    June 14th, 2008 1:09 am

    I’m new to the site and as a beginner with web design, find it an exceptional resource.
    3

  41. 3791
    lucky
    June 14th, 2008 1:15 am

    _|_|_| _| _| _| _|
    _| _|_| _|_| _| _|
    _|_| _| _| _| _| _|
    _| _| _|
    _|_|_| _| _| _| _| ..Thanks!

    #2

  42. 3792
    Tobias Goth
    June 14th, 2008 1:16 am

    Found out about this site yesterweek and it’s truly changed my life!

    2. Designing the Obvious

  43. 3793
    Leszek Lesiewicz
    June 14th, 2008 1:39 am

    Whatever Andy Clark does is worth your attention
    1

  44. 3794
    Dimitar Tsonev
    June 14th, 2008 2:18 am

    Smash me!

    6

  45. 3795
    jason
    June 14th, 2008 2:50 am

    very generous! keep up the great work :)
    4

  46. 3796
    lirb
    June 14th, 2008 3:00 am

    thanks, great contest…
    i would like book number:
    1

  47. 3797
    Tolu
    June 14th, 2008 3:31 am

    1.
    i just love the css styles in smashing magazine, I can’t wait to have this book.

  48. 3798
    Engin
    June 14th, 2008 3:49 am

    first book off course pls

  49. 3799
    Colar
    June 14th, 2008 4:11 am

    I love Smashing Magazine and I love tricks, so :
    8

  50. 3800
    Gil
    June 14th, 2008 4:27 am

    Wow! Smart & Clever. Smashing Magazine :)
    5

  51. 3801
    Pankaj
    June 14th, 2008 4:52 am

    It is very good idea to viewer to read this book

  52. 3802
    Gerry
    June 14th, 2008 5:04 am

    Love your magazine, it always gives me new ideas and inspiration. I wonder how long this comments thread will get? :)
    #1 Transcending CSS by Andy Clarke

  53. 3803
    Anda Pop
    June 14th, 2008 5:32 am

    Thank you!
    #6

  54. 3804
    Danny
    June 14th, 2008 5:32 am

    I love this site
    7

  55. 3805
    Andy Dust
    June 14th, 2008 5:36 am

    All great books ! :)
    8

  56. 3806
    nad
    June 14th, 2008 6:06 am

    SM rulez !!!!!!!!

    7

  57. 3807
    Björn Rohles
    June 14th, 2008 6:20 am

    Thank you for the great work!
    3

  58. 3808
    Wai
    June 14th, 2008 7:22 am

    Awesome

  59. 3809
    Jeb
    June 14th, 2008 8:04 am

    This is a great contest! I found Smashing awhile ago while i was looking for help on using Adobe Photoshop and some web design that i was doing. Keep up the great work all of you!
    2

  60. 3810
    Jeb
    June 14th, 2008 8:05 am

    Great
    2

  61. 3811
    sleepless
    June 14th, 2008 8:13 am

    thank you
    1

  62. 3812
    Nate Thomas
    June 14th, 2008 8:32 am

    Awesome!
    4

  63. 3813
    mor
    June 14th, 2008 8:37 am

    i love smashing magazine
    6

  64. 3814
    Artur Obrzut
    June 14th, 2008 9:00 am

    I hope I win, thank you!
    6

  65. 3815
    rene
    June 14th, 2008 9:42 am

    me like !!!!!!!
    1

  66. 3816
    joho3001
    June 14th, 2008 9:42 am

    I love this magazine and it’s ideas!
    4

  67. 3817
    onder surmeli
    June 14th, 2008 9:48 am

    Perfect.
    5

  68. 3818
    Starbuck
    June 14th, 2008 10:18 am

    Cool!
    2

  69. 3819
    Radomir Dopieralski
    June 14th, 2008 10:25 am

    Bingeleybingeleybeep!
    2

  70. 3820
    Drzwi
    June 14th, 2008 10:37 am

    Good idea:)
    1

  71. 3821
    Steph
    June 14th, 2008 10:44 am

    I like no. 1

    1

  72. 3822
    Rob
    June 14th, 2008 10:48 am

    Potatoes

    6

  73. 3823
    Alvin Law
    June 14th, 2008 10:48 am

    Wow this is really awesome!
    3

  74. 3824
    Dash
    June 14th, 2008 11:07 am

    Great site and good choice of books!
    1

  75. 3825
    MrQwest
    June 14th, 2008 11:10 am

    Woah, how many replies? Just shows how many people read Smashing! It’s such an invaluable resource! Thank you!
    1.

  76. 3826
    lufr
    June 14th, 2008 11:11 am

    Thanks for great webstite :)
    1

  77. 3827
    Lauren
    June 14th, 2008 11:56 am

    Thanks for this!
    7

  78. 3828
    Todd
    June 14th, 2008 12:59 pm

    Thanks Smashing!
    1

  79. 3829
    Tihomir Nikolovski
    June 14th, 2008 1:33 pm

    I don’t mind smashed gifts!

  80. 3830
    Tihomir Nikolovski
    June 14th, 2008 1:35 pm

    I don’t mind smashed gifts!
    6

  81. 3831
    Eleanor
    June 14th, 2008 1:41 pm

    Nice!
    4

  82. 3832
    Rafael Braga
    June 14th, 2008 2:00 pm

    2

  83. 3833
    Faiza Naz
    June 14th, 2008 2:04 pm

    really cool!

    1

  84. 3834
    Philip Sison
    June 14th, 2008 3:27 pm

    Awesome books!

    #6 please

  85. 3835
    Debbie
    June 14th, 2008 3:50 pm

    nice idea
    7

  86. 3836
    erik
    June 14th, 2008 3:54 pm

    5
    jojoi…

  87. 3837
    PeterMQ
    June 14th, 2008 4:22 pm

    Once again….SMASHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you guys rock big time.

    #1

  88. 3838
    dgcal
    June 14th, 2008 5:45 pm

    This site is awesome!
    8

  89. 3839
    Zeta
    June 14th, 2008 6:11 pm

    What a great giveaway!
    I choose #5

  90. 3840
    James
    June 14th, 2008 6:14 pm

    Dinner some time? My place.
    2

  91. 3841
    Edelweiss
    June 14th, 2008 6:14 pm

    Interesting….
    #1

  92. 3842
    Flaca
    June 14th, 2008 6:16 pm

    Go Smashing Magazine!
    #3

  93. 3843
    Wdk
    June 14th, 2008 6:19 pm

    Thanks! My favourite is #6

  94. 3844
    Snivellius
    June 14th, 2008 6:24 pm

    Great! Thank you.
    I’d go for #4

  95. 3845
    Raven
    June 14th, 2008 7:35 pm

    Thanks, Smashing Magazine!
    #7

  96. 3846
    Mitch | studionashvegas
    June 14th, 2008 7:41 pm

    1

    I have the privilege of having lunch with Molly Holzschlag (the co-editor) on Monday. She’s an incredible pot-stirrer in the Internet community, especially in the area of web-standards.

  97. 3847
    Sandra
    June 14th, 2008 9:04 pm

    Excelente.
    1

  98. 3848
    Laura
    June 14th, 2008 9:11 pm

    A cada dia melhor.
    5

  99. 3849
    zeljko
    June 14th, 2008 9:39 pm

    you guys are awesome, and yes i want a book from you =) number 2

  100. 3850
    Jason
    June 14th, 2008 10:34 pm

    Sweet!

  101. 3851
    Vitaly Friedman & Sven Lennartz
    June 14th, 2008 11:00 pm

    comments are closed now.


  1. 00

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