Markdown - David Sparks & Eddie Smith

Markdown

By David Sparks & Eddie Smith

  • Release Date: 2013-03-25
  • Genre: Computers & Internet
Score: 4
4
From 84 Ratings
Buy on Amazon

Description

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.

Chapters include:

Chapter 1 - Why Markdown
Learn why Markdown is such a big deal and why you need to learn it.

Chapter 2 - Markdown Basics
This is a complete guide to Markdown syntax with cheat sheets and video screencasts for every major component.

Chapters 3-6 - Markdown on the Mac, PC, iOS, and the web
Get a hands on guide to some of the best apps for writing Markdown on every platform with written guides, automation tools, screenshots, and extensive video tutorials.

Chapter 7 - Advanced Markdown
Markdown has grown and there are several advanced techniques for getting even more out of Markdown including a guide and video tutorial for writing with MultiMarkdown,  including footnotes, tables, and metadata. There are also recommendations for additional advanced third party apps and even track changes.

Chapter 8 - Markdown Workflows

The authors interview several Markdown power users including Merlin Mann, Fletcher Penney, Brett Terpstra, Federico Viticci, and Gabe Weatherhead with over an hour of audio interviews about how they use Markdown.

This is the first book in the MacSparky Field Guide Series. This book is a large file (850 MB) and includes over one and a half hours of video and one hour of audio. This books runs on all versions of the iPad.

Reviews

  • A Great Way to Learn Markdown

    5
    By mv.arms
    I’m not a blogger or a web designer, but I kept hearing about this thing called Markdown and the benefits of working in plain text. At first I didn’t get it, but then I decided to check out David’s book and it all came together. I LOVE the idea of working with the simplicity of text files that can be accessible through any number of applications and tools. I LOVE the idea that these files will be accessible forever, even when all the proprietary software of today goes defunct. And I LOVE that there are a growing number of great apps that work with Markdown in various ways. David and Eddie do a great job of introducing the idea of Markdown, it's basic functionality and tools, and then have some great audio conversations with Markdown users about how they use it in their day-to-day lives. I highly recommend this book!

  • A great Field Guide on Mac & iOS text editing in Markdown

    5
    By Mitch _
    When I first read this iBook, I already had the gist of Markdown, using it regularly with plain text writing in such applications as Byword, Markdown Pro, and, later, Editorial. But, I thought I could make use of a comprehensive tutorial, which this iBook provides.

  • Great writing, a little light

    3
    By reagan9000
    I'm no markdown expert and hoped that this would provide both background and detailed format specs. The book offers a lot of the former and a bit less than I hoped of the latter. Not quite up to the stellar detail of Paperless.

  • A great Markdown introduction

    5
    By petterhol
    I finished this book pretty fast, but I always come back to reference it. I am a new Markdown «user» (I’ve started to write in Markdown for some of my text editing), and I love being able to look up how I do X or Y quickly with the iBooks format, and with great, informal screencasts!

  • Perfect For Beginners

    5
    By nick-graham.com
    I went from having literally zero knowledge other than a desire to learn, and within a couple of hours I feel totally competent and have already began writing blog posts in Markdown. This book really does it make it that easy. The screencasts make learning that much simpler and the audio interviews are nice to find out tips and tricks from moe experienced users. I’d give this 6 stars if I could.

  • Great markdown guide, even if you're a beginner

    5
    By JakeSteele
    I bought this after reading David Sparks’ book Paperless. Paperless was so good and I wanted to be exposed to the markdown language so this book was a no brainer. I’m a true beginner and I had no problem understanding the information in this book. There are so many great recommendations I ended up downloading several apps and programs to play with. Next up, Mr. Sparks’ book on email!

  • Must read!!!

    5
    By xam05
    It doesn't matter if you have no idea what Markdown is, just pick up this book and by the time you finish with it, you'll definitely will find many uses for it. You will enjoy this book as you learn something really cool, specially if you are a geek.

  • Another winner Field Guide!

    5
    By Weebumsmom
    As a beginner of markdown, I found this field guide to be the perfect fit for me. I had heard so much of markdown through a variety of internet and apple gurus, that I really wanted to give it a try. This book puts everything literally at your fingertips and has screencasts to reinforce the ideas and concepts that the authors discuss. After the first few pages of the book, you can easily master the basics of markdown. Then you can explore more facets of the applications and continue on to learn more the more advanced techniques of markdown. This MacSparky Field Guide is coauthored with Eddie Smith and as always David Sparks brings together a great array of information beautifully packaged in an ibook authored format. Another Winner!

  • Brilliantly presented - The Markdown "Bible"

    5
    By kesmeier
    No longer is Markdown a mysterious secret club. This field guide is the best way to get started using Markdown. Yes, Markdown is simple, but even the most savvy nerd will discover new things in this book. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if John Gruber learned a thing or two from this field guide. The interactive materials take you under Markdown's hood, and explore some of the best Markdown (and MultiMarkdown) tools for the Mac, iOS, and yes, even Windows machines. Interviews with Merlin Mann, Brett Terpstra, and Fletcher Penney bring much-added value to the "book". It's more than a book - it's a Markdown "extravaganza" which will completely change your daily workflow for the better. It's obvious David Sparks loves sharing via this format. He continues to leverage iBooks Author to its full potential. This book is presented well, and Sparks' collaboration with Eddie Smith adds another perspective to the versatility of Markdown. Two things you shouldn't ever miss - A MacSparky Field Guide, and the weekly episode of the Mac Power Users podcast with David Sparks and Katie Floyd. I don't ever miss one, and the knowledge shared is valuable and adds so much to my Mac and iOS "experience". You can search the web for information about Markdown, and learn it in bits and pieces, or you can use once resource - this book, which is the best reference/tutorial/introduction to Markdown there is. Let David and Eddie do the heavy lifting - you should jump right into the deep end of the Markdown swimming pool - MacSparky won't let you sink.

  • Awesome resource for writers!

    5
    By DStachowiak
    I had only heard of the term "Markdown" before picking up this book...can't believe what I've been missing. David and Eddie do a fantastic job of making this topic simple and accessible, but also powerful for those who want more. I'm going to start writing in Markdown immediately and am leaving behind for good all the issues I deal with regularly on HTML formatting during/after writing. I'm a little confused by a few reviews that say, "just Google Markdown and you'll get all this." You could Google ANY topic and get lots of info. The value of this book is the professional design, the logical progression, the clear and concise screencasts at a touch of a button, expert audio interviews, great graphics, and links to hundreds of resources. David and Eddie have put this high quality content in one place. Can't wait to get writing again!

More by David Sparks & Eddie Smith