San Francisco, CA, May 3, 2011—From the simplest blog layout to the most feature-rich web portal, CSS3 (Cascading Style Sheets Level 3) is the technology behind many of the modern Web's eye-catching visuals. Yet because the CSS3 standard is still in flux, many web designers aren't aware that many CSS3 features are already widely supported and ready to use.

In The Book of CSS3 (No Starch Press, May 2011, 304 pp., $34.95, ISBN 9781593272869) Peter Gasston, a longtime writer for CSS3.info, the Web's premier CSS3 destination, shows readers how to transform ordinary markup into stunning, richly styled web pages fit for any browser. Rather than starting from scratch, Gasston focuses on the groundbreaking new possibilities that CSS3 brings to web design. Readers learn about the amazing tools CSS3 already puts at their disposal, like multi-column layouts, text and box effects, and even animation in 2D and 3D space.

"The Book of CSS3 doesn't waste time teaching the basics," said Gasston. "It's for experienced developers who want to build on their existing knowledge. It gets right to the good stuff, so you can put it to work on your own sites today. And the companion website offers up-to-date browser compatibility charts and live CSS3 samples for you to explore, so you can actually see the book's examples in action as you read."

Readers master the latest cutting-edge CSS3 features, such as how to:

• Stylize text with fully customizable outlines, drop shadows, and similar effects
• Create, position, and resize background images on the fly
• Spice up static web pages with event-driven transitions and animations
• Apply 2D and 3D transformations to text and images
• Use linear and radial gradients to create smooth color transitions
• Tailor a website to improve its appearance on smartphones, tablets, and similar devices

Experienced developers looking to harness the future of web design need look no further than The Book of CSS3.