Huge book written by SGML inventor Charles F. Goldfarb and Paul Prescod. XML Handbook explains XML for the novice at the same time as making a good reference book for those already initiated in the world of XML.
It provides everything from basic XML knowledge to in-depth tutorials about DTDs, XSL, XPath and much more. A nice feature is examples of how XML can be used in "the real world". Although XML Handbook focuses a bit too much on XML implementations directed at the World Wide Web, most people consider this to be the XML book.
Charles F. Goldfarb's XML Handbook weighs in at about 1200 pages along with two CD-ROM discs containing free software and it contains 69 chapters divided in 24 parts. This is however not entirely a good thing since many of the chapters are far too brief to cover the subject it is supposed to cover. The book does explain what it is supposed to explain, but you often get the feeling that it could be shorted down by 20-25 chapters.
Overall, this is a good book and should be a must in the bookshelves of all XML-curious people. Considering the size and subject of this book, the price is right, which is always a plus.
Name: Charles F. Goldfarb's XML Handbook
Author: Charles F. Goldfarb and Paul Prescod
ISBN: 0-13049-765-7
Date Published: November 3, 2003
Publisher: Prentice Hall
List Price: 49.99 USD
(This text refers to the fifth edition of this book)