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What's the difference?

 
Greenhorn
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Hey Elliotte,
What is the difference in the "Head First" series and the "Refactoring" series...?
 
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Apart from different publishers, different authors, and different writing styles?

If you don't mind an outsiders' viewpoint, Head First is all about approaching a domain of knowledge that you are either entirely new to, or which you may not yet have fully grasped, or where the existing literature may make things needlessly cryptic to the novice. The series has a particular tone of 'voice' and uses very specific pedagogical concepts to impart the lessons.

The Head First series is more about jumping into and understanding something completely new, whether that be HTML or SQL or Design Patterns, or even Chemistry for that matter.

There doesn't really seem to be a 'refactoring...' series, though several of the Addison-Wesley Signature Series include the word in the title.

Refactoring is a very specific discipline, so while a book about Refactoring may be introductory, it will most definitely be centered around this discipline and how to apply it in a specific context or using a specific language). It won't be written in a specific educational style (Lions, and Tigers, and Bears - oh my), and I very much doubt that we will be seeing a 'Refactoring Molecular Biology - The Incremental Improvement of Genetic Code under Controlled Conditions and Which Do Not Impact The Observed Behavior of the Individual' anytime soon.

I wouldn't be surprised if we see a Head First Genetics, though.
 
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Hmm, that's sort of like asking what's the difference between the Harry Potter series and John Updike's The Witches of Eastwick. They're both wonderful books that involve magic (and I can only dream of their sales figures) but otherwise, they're pretty different.

The Head First series is an excellent group of introductory and tutorial books on various subjects based on some particular learning principles and techniques. The Refactoring series is an excellent group of advanced books on various subjects based on a particular technique of software development.

As well written as Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML is (and I do think it's one of the best books on the subject) it's unlikely to be of much interest to someone who's been practicing in the field for 10 years. By contrast, Refactoring HTML would be greek to someone just starting out, but should be very interesting to experienced HTML developers.
 
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