Books - Recommendations please, CSS, PHP and Graphic/ Web Design

[DaRNCaT]

Hi, I've decided I need to do some updating of my skills, as the web moves so quickly, and clients expect their websites to keep up.
I have a couple of good PHP books, a Sams one and Welling & Thomson's PHP & MySQL Web Dev book.

I have been told that Eric Meyers is the author to look for with CSS, so I'm looking him up, but any other suggestions would be great. I am NOT good with CSS, and although I can get compliant pages, I'm worried about using CSS with database driven sites.

I'd also like some more in depth books for PHP, especially one which explains how to use GD, as I can't ge my head around it, and I really need the ability to change images on the fly. I know there used to be a huge black book- PHP Bible? I don't know if anyone has used it, or if it has been updated- any comments would be great.

Finally, design- I've read alot of books on design, but I don't own any, I'd like to have a few - some for handing to clients and saying- this book explains what you should be asking me for, and some which are for me, to gain new ideas, and just because I love design alot, and would like some good informative books on it- I don't know where to start looking for them.

Thanks heaps!

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Sometimes, when my code just won't behave, I take it outside and make it listen to britney spears music, and when it comes back it's really well behaved. I wonder if it's suffering from post tramatic stress syndrome now..

 

[myatia]

I recommend Content Critical by Gerry McGovern. It's not a design book per se, but it's a great book about designing usable, informative sites that get conversions.

Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug is another great usability/design book.

Web Design on a Shoestring by Carrie Bickner has a lot of good tips on CSS (including an example of moving a site from a table-based to tableless layout), as well as info on how to organize content and write for the web.