XML: The Annotated Specification was written for "anyone who is serious about XML." Clearly the XML specification is the ultimate source on XML. It is studied by programmers, analysts, consultants and educators-- anyone who needs to understand the details of XML and how to implement XML applications. With the permission of the W3C, XML Version 1.0 is reproduced in the book. But along with the source document, extensive annotations and examples are designed to provide the reader with an understanding of XML that cannot be gleaned from the Spec itself. So if you need to learn about XML, this text is an excellent starting point.

Summary:

This book follows the organization of XML Version 1.0. Before diving directly into the text of the specification, however, the author provides us with a fairly lengthy introduction to XML. This introduction gives the reader some idea of why XML was developed and where it fits with two related standards, SGML and HTML. In addition, DuCharme introduces us to other W3C standard that are closely related to XML. So before we begin to read the XML Specification, we understand the historical setting as well as close standard relatives like XLink, XPointer, and XSL (Extensible Stylesheet Language).

Following the introduction, Ducharme begins to march us through the XML specification, chapter-by-chapter. The XML specification is reproduced in a san-serif font over grey shading. This makes the source stand out clearly from Ducharme's explanations and insights. In addition to the annotations for each paragraph of each chapter of XML, Ducharme provides us with a host of clearly marked "TIPs" and "Examples." Over 170 new usage examples were created for this text to provide an illustration of XML and its usage that is not part of the source specification.

In contrast to the rigerous, elegant, formal, and concise language found in the XML specification, Ducharme provides us with easy-to read explanations and commentary. I often enjoyed the insights into why a certain decision was made in the design of XML as much as I benefited from the easy explanation of highly technical concepts. Since the book follows the XML specification (even to the numbering of paragraphs), it is easy to use XML: The Annotated Specification to clarify any part of XML whose meaning may not be immediately clear.

Following the treatment of the XML Specification body, this book provides a series of very useful Appendices, again tracking the content of the Appendices to the original specification. In addition, it contains "Supplementary Annotations" that provide good explanations of grammars, productions, and computer languages. This appendix also contains information about W3C specifications and copyright. Finally, Ducharme provides us with a comprehensive glossary of terms and indices into the XML specification to help us use the specification more efficiently.

If you are new to XML and trying to make sense of the specification, XML: The Annotated Specification will be invaluable. If you are an implementor who needs to clarify a technical detail from time to time, this text will help validate that your interpretation of the Spec is the correct one. If you are a writer, trainer, or Web historian, you will find this text makes you feel as if "you were there!" XML: The Annotated Specification should be added to your technical library.