Here is a selection of useful and practical books from the Goode design Library.
Don't Make Me Think!
Krug, Steve 2000 Don't Make Me Think!: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, Indianapolis, New Riders.
This is the book that every usability professional had wished they had written. It's simple, easy and enjoyable to read. It's full of "Advanced Common Sense" about designing web sites. You will laugh and learn at the same time.
Information Architecture for the World Wide Web
Rosenfeld, Louis, & Morville, Peter 2002 Information Architecture for the World Wide Web (2nd Ed), Sebastopol, O’Reilly & Associates.
This is the seminal work on this subject. This 2nd edition has been greatly expanded from the 1st edition. The book starts at the basic concepts of information Architecture (IA), then covers all aspects of IA form methods, to IA in practice, testing and real life case studies.
The Elements of User Experience
Garret, Jesse James 2003 The Elements of User Experience: User-Centered Design for the Web, Indianapolis, New Riders.
Garret explains user experience design for the web through a systematic set of steps (or as he calls them planes). Starting with "Strategy Plane" which includes site objectives and user needs, works his way to the "Surface Plane" the actual visual design. This book presents a simple and insightful model of user experience design.
The Web Professional's Handbook
Bordash, Michael, Fletcher, Peter, Foley, Goodyear, Robert, Homer, Alex, Koch, Peter-Paul, Mason, Bill, Regan, Bob, Roselli, Adrian, Wooten, Cliff 2003 The Web Professional's Handbook, Birmingham, glasshaus.
Every web designer or developer needs a reference text for their day to day work. This book is one of the most well thumbed books in the Goode Design Library. All the core information you need when building web pages at your fingertips. Includes, XHTML, CSS 1 & 2, JavaScript, usability and accessibility.
Web Style Guide
Lynch, Patrick, J, Hoton, Sarah 2001 Web Style Guide: Basic Design Principles for Creating Web Sites (2nd Ed), London, Yale University Press.
This book is a compiled and bound version of the famous web site of the same name www.webstyleguide.com. It shows many deferent elements of style including, layout, structure, visual and typographical style. Each example includes a detailed explanation of its benefits and uses.