Whether you are new to WordPress or consider yourself a power user — or even power developer — there’s always something new to learn about WordPress. While there’s plenty of information available on the web from blog posts to YouTube videos to tutorials, sometimes you just need the guidance and structure that only a book can provide. If you’re looking for a book that covers everything from “Why WordPress is Amazing” to “Optimizing CSS and JavaScript” then Digging Into WordPress is for you.
Digging Into WordPress is written by Chris Coyier & Jeff Starr, two well-respected folks in the WordPress community. The book is a solid run down of a wide range of topics including:
- How to set things up right
- Building themes and how they work
- Keeping sites secure and optimized
- Making the most of WordPress
The topics that it chooses to cover are those that are of the most interest and relevance to people trying to do things right and trying to take their site just one step further. And it’s written in a very friendly, conversational style which makes the information easy to understand. You can tell the authors have explained these topics before. The book is kept up to date and is currently based on WordPress 3.8.
One of the strengths of this book is its visual appeal. It has a gorgeous layout and typography that makes it a joy to read — whether in print ($75) or PDF ($27) form. The print version is a high-quality, spiral-bound, full-color beauty that would look great gracing any geek’s coffee table. (Well, maybe that’s just a bit too far — or maybe not?) The PDF version looks just as magnificent and has the added bonuses of hyperlinks, search, copy & paste code, and lifetime updates. (If you purchase the print version, the PDF version is included as well.)
There are a lot of “must-have” books out there, but this is truly one of the best for WordPress.
