Markdown

by David Sparks, Eddie Smith

Markdown started as a clever way to write for the web but has become so much more. This book demystifies Markdown, making it easy for anybody to learn. This book includes 130 pages, 27 screencasts with over one and half hours of video, and an additional hour of audio interviews. You can go from no knowledge to Markdown pro. It will change the way you write forever.

Genres: Technology, Nonfiction, Productivity

130 pages, ebook

First published March 21, 2013

About the author

David Sparks is an Orange County, California business attorney and a geek. David is also a podcaster, blogger, and author who writes about finding the best tools, hardware, and workflows for using Apple products to get work done. David also writes for Macworld magazine and speaks about technology.
--from the author's website

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Jacob Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of David Sparks's Markdown Book an Investigation to Formatting Documents

With the hard drive on my MacBook Pro out of commission, and that over the last year I've completely changed how I manage data storage, I figured it was time to write a review of David Sparks 's Field Guide Markdown (buy it iTunes) .

I wrote really briefly about Markdown in my post, Been So Long. I've been transitioning most all of my documents into plain text files. For the non plain text nerds out there, this might sound a little strange. In my viewpoint, there is a real case to be made for plain text files:

You can read more of my review on my blog, Review of David Sparks's Markdown Book an Investigation to Formatting Documents.

[Harvey Levine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an extremely useful book for anyone who wants to learn the Markdown language and for anyone who asks why they should learn Markdown. The book, using ePub 3 standards at the iBookstore, not only presents the complete set of Markdown commands, but also covers the additional commands of Multi-markdown.

Because the book uses the newer ePub standard, it is filled with practical video tutorials, over an hour in total. There is also a series of audio interviews with many of the pioneers in the field. Both the authors, David Sparks and Eddie Smith, are well-known experts in this field. Their blogs and Sparks's podcast (Mac Power Users) have covered Markdown frequently. But their book is the first time that an extensive tutorial has been attempted.

The only shortfall of the book is that it could have used a few more example videos, especially in some of the Multi-markdown areas that were only lightly covered.

The book is sold through Apple's iBookstore, so reading it requires an IOS device such as an iPad.

[Pier Carlo · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's really good for everyone approaching Markdown, especially for the abundance of screencast and the very simple language. On the other hand, it doesn't actually turn you in a Markdown ninja (as promised in the intro). Just a Markdown user.

It cover several tool you can use, but there is no in depth study of them, so you'll have to find out on your own what they "really" do, which pros and cons, and which is the best suit to your workflow.

Very cool if you never heard of Markdown, disappointing if you're looking for serious, "pro" stuff. They're not covered, just mentioned.

[Ridgewalker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a quick read. I picked it up because I wanted to see what all the excitement was. Now I know. As I do not write for the web etc. I really don't see a compelling need to pick up markdown personally. Interestingly though I think it did convert me to writing with a word processor that writes a file in plain text format. If you're a Mac fan like me, I use IA Write. Check it out.

[Dave Gerlits · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very thorough, step by step guide to the basics and beyond the basics of Markdown.

The strategy of at least one short screencast in every chapter worked very well for me, and was a skillful complement to the text.

The book is well worth the price, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to get rolling with Markdown.

[Mike Vardy · Rating 4 out of 5]

For just $9.99, you really can’t go wrong picking this guide up. You’ll save a ton of time for very little money. I’ve only started to make my way through the book (which was authored in iBooks Author, as all of the MacSparky Field Guides are) and I’m already expanding my Markdown knowledge significantly.

[Andrew Doran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful introduction to Markdown that makes full use of iBooks features such as embedded screencasts and audio files. Less content than I was hoping for and was a shame that I couldn't easily pause/seek on the audio excerpts. I definitely learned a couple of things and am convinced Markdown is the right way to write.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I already write predominantly in Markdown already, I typically like David's approach to his field guides. As suspected, there was a lot of review material, but I really appreciated the workflow audio interviews. If you don't already work in Markdown, this is the book to get.

[Chris Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a solid and fun guide to using Markdown and also one of the best examples of how to make a compelling book with iBooks Author. I learned how and why to use Markdown and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the field guides are excellent, and this is no exception. The media is well done, the material is extensive and thorough, and the interviews are with experts who use this stuff every day.

[Gregr209 · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want to learn Markdown there isn't a better ebook. Well done and to the point.

[Cams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very useful and comprehensive primer on Markdown. This is a perfect example of what iBooks is best for!

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good reference book for anybody who wants/needs to write in (eventually) html.