Attempting to write a book about WordPress must be a daunting task since the WordPress development team tirelessly keeps moving the platform forward and is always adding powerful new features. Write a book today and parts of it will be out of date within a few months. That’s why if you’re going to write a book on WordPress, it might be a good idea to include as your Technical Editor someone who is actually a lead developer with the WordPress project. Wisely, Aaron Brazell did just that in choosing Mark Jaquith as the Technical Editor for the WordPress Bible which lends amazing credibility to the pages in this book.
I have been working with WordPress for a number of years and have produced over 2-dozen client websites using WP. My learning curve included spending lots of time in the WP forums (least productive), reading the WP Codex (more productive) and just getting my hands dirty by experimenting and building (most productive). I’ve been patiently waiting for the day that a book would be written for WordPress developers that goes way beyond the “Idiot” books out there. I wanted a book that was easy to understand but got into the deep stuff instead of just the superficial topics that most of the available books cover. My day has arrived because WordPress Bible is the book I’ve been waiting for.
The author, Aaron Brazell, has an excellent writing style that does not require you to have a degree in computer sciences to understand. This book will take a beginner and lead him through advanced topics with ease. However an advanced developer will also be enlightened and surprised by the depth of material covered and the breadth of topics included in this volume.
The book is organized by Parts and Chapters. Each “Part” contains chapters of related material. As an example, Part 2 is about Working with Plugins and contains chapters dealing with Extending WordPress with Plugins, Widgetizing WordPress, Understanding the WordPress Database Class and Dissecting the Loop and WP_Query.
WordPress Hooks are perhaps the single most important reason that WordPress is so extendable. The author goes into great detail about hooks and includes a reference to WordPress hooks in the appendix.
Computer books can frequently be written by knowledgeable people who are simply unable to convey their expertise on a subject in understandable terms. Aaron Brazell is an knowledgeable person who writes very well and does not suffer that weakness. The WordPress Bible is a joy to read and after having done so, you will have a deep understanding of everything WordPress.
I have many dozens of computer books on my shelves most of which have been agonizing to read. This book is one that is at the top of the pile both in readability but also in the value of information contained. If you work with WordPress, you won’t regret buying this book. It’s an amazingly complete resource.
The WordPress Bible
