Landmarks
Practical Transformation Using XSLT and XPath
By G. Ken Holman
Crane Softwrights, 2000, 341pp.
www.cranesoftwrights.com/links/trn-wt.htm
$40
By Eugene E. Kim
This month's "Bookmarks" column is a
landmark of sorts. It's the column's one-year anniversary, and it's my first review of an electronic book. In truth, I didn't expect to be reviewing Crane Softwrights' Practical Transformation Using XSLT and XPath. While I have no bias against electronic books, this one is unusual in that it's written entirely in outline form.
Initially, I was unsure how effective a book in this format could be. However, I had no need to worry. G. Ken Holman is an authority on his topic, serving as Chair of the OASIS XSLT/XPath Conformance Technical Committee. He is also highly articulate, as I discovered when I met him recently. Holman writes clear and effective prose, as is evident from his articles on XML.com. Clearly, he didn't use outline form for lack of ability.
As it turns out, Holman has good reasons for writing and distributing the book the way he did, and this style especially benefits his readers. Practical Transformation Using XSLT and XPath is a concise, authoritative guide on subjects that often receive simplistic coverage.
Whither XSLT
XML Stylesheet Language (XSL) is an XML vocabulary designed for information presentation.
