The Little Book of Little Books

Published on Oct 29, 2021, filed under books, development, html, css, frameworks, quality. (Share this post, e.g., on Mastodon.)

In 2015 and 2016, I produced a series of “Little Books” for O’Reilly: The Little Book of HTML/CSS Frameworks, The Little Book of HTML/CSS Coding Guidelines, and The Little Book of Website Quality Control.

While I soon liked the idea of translating The Little Book of HTML/CSS Frameworks into German (I believe it to be one of my best books, and also one that’s still relevant), and, in the spirit of living books, also thought to update the titles, O’Reilly didn’t plan to go for translations or new editions. However, O’Reilly was first so kind to grant me the rights to produce a German version of the frameworks book, and then released the rights to all “Little Books” back to me.

This allowed me to consolidate and refresh all three books, in an updated ebook called: The Little Book of Little Books. It’s now available on several platforms:

In the Book’s Own Words

The Little Book of Little Books consists of three booklets, originally released in 2015 and 2016. They have been lightly updated and edited (with permission and release by the former publisher, O’Reilly).

The Little Book of HTML/CSS Frameworks provides guidance for the development and use of web frameworks. It was written during a time when frameworks were used by linking to their style sheets. While times have changed, it’s the author’s conviction that the principles outlined in the book still hold, and that it provides unique views to the advantage of everyone working with frameworks.

The Little Book of HTML/CSS Coding Guidelines outlines the benefits of coding standards and discusses them on the basis of the Google HTML/CSS Style Guide. It was written during a time when there was little tooling to format code automatically. Back in 2012, the author had revised and published the Google guidelines; many years later, he maintains that the modern frontend developer and their craft still benefit from such standards.

The Little Book of Website Quality Control reviews quality assurance and control and offers a comprehensive collection of tools. It was written during a time when there were few automated testing options, with a focus on web-based manual testing. The author believes this has been one of his weakest books, ponders why he didn’t do better, but likes the idea that, over time, he can make updates that make it a little less shallow.

→ This is the book if you want to travel back in time for a complementary perspective on frameworks, coding guidelines, quality control—and the craft of web development.

_ I believe the description to say it all—travel back in time for a complementary perspective on frameworks, coding guidelines, quality control, and the craft of web development—, but I also want to thank all the various people again who have helped create The Little Book of HTML/CSS Frameworks; The Little Book of HTML/CSS Coding Guidelines; The Little Book of Website Quality Control; and The Little Book of Little Books itself. Thank you.

This, like many of my indie writings, is a living book. Accordingly, on platforms like Leanpub and Google Play Books, you should get updates automatically. Thanks for your attention and your support—enjoy!

About Me

I’m Jens (long: Jens Oliver Meiert), and I’m an engineering lead, guerrilla philosopher, and indie publisher. I’ve worked as a technical lead and engineering manager at various companies (e.g., Google); I’m an active web and tool developer (code optimization, digital defense), a contributor to web standards (like HTML, CSS, WCAG), and a book author (O’Reilly, Frontend Dogma).

I love trying things—in web development and engineering management, but also in politics and philosophy, where I hold to one idea in particular: that we can only be well if we take good care of everyone. Here on meiert.com I talk about some of my perspectives and experiences. (Interpret charitably but be critical—and share feedback and advice that makes my work better.)