However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.
— Winston Churchill
HTML for the World Wide Web with XHTML and CSS - Elizabeth Castro
I highly recommend the Visual QuickStart Guides as an entry guide into just about anything... I own about 10 QuickStart Guides on various topics, and they offer a good introduction into just about any subject or software. They are easy to read, and relatively inexpensive.
Eric Meyer on CSS
More Eric Meyer on CSS
Cascading Style Sheets: The Definitive Guide by Eric A. Meyer
Designing CSS Web Pages by Christopher Schmitt & Eric A. Meyer
I think that the very best way to get into CSS is to jump in and hang on—it's a lot different than designing with tables, and I don't think you'll find all the answers in any one book. Yet, I find Eric Meyer's books very useful. His was one of the first books purchased when I started investigating CSS, and 3-4 years later still find myself peeking into it. I was fortunate to attend his seminar at the UEI User Interface Conference
Web Designer's Reference : An Integrated Approach to Web Design with XHTML and CSS - Craig Grannell
Constructing Accessible Websites - Jim Thatcher
The first book,"Constructing Accessible Websites" offers a really good overview of accessibility—what to do, how to do it, why it matters, as well as a bit on laws concerning accessibility. The second book is a reference for people with disabilities & a guide to available technologies and the various resources as well as those found in the marketplace. I thought it was interesting to read them both.
Designing Web Usability : The Practice of Simplicity - Jakob Nielsen
Handbook of Usability Testing - Jeffrey Rubin
These 3 books are a little old (1998-2000), but I still find them useful. Jakob Nielsen's book is sort of "the gospel according to Jakob," but it is a good overview and introduction into usability and his work is highly regarded in the industry. Although I think he's a bit of an extremist, his book is comprehensive and covers a lot of issues, and overall, offers good insight on usability principles. The other two books offer practical examples of constructing and conducting user tests.
The Design of Everyday Things - Donald A. Norman
The Elements of User Experience: User-Centered Design for the Web - Jesse James Garrett
