What's the best (most comprehensive) book on XML?

Question

I have only a handful of books for each of Perl, Python, and SQL. I have around a dozen books on C and C++ combined. My stack of Java books outweighs me. After perusing the bookstore shelves I can see that I could easily make a Java-like investment in XML books. So I'm asking, is there one book that anyone can recommend that will tell me everything I'll ever need to know about XML?

Update:

Thanks for the replies. I'll probably end up getting both XML in a Nutshell and Beginning XML. That's not my stated goal of one comprehensive book, but it's still a lot better than a stack to the ceiling.

Answer 1

Beginning XML, 4th Edition will tell you everything you need to know about XML. It covers everything from the DTD's, XSLT, the DOM, SAX, namespaces, web services, etc.

However, I suggest starting off with w3schools, and then decide whether you need a book or not.

Answer 2

My favorite XML book is XML in a Nutshell from ORA. It covers all of the major subject areas to a reasonable depth without turning into a 10000 pp tome. However, there is no one book that will tell you everything you will ever need to know. There will be times when you will need to refer to the standards, or the documentation for the parser you are using, or a book specializing in, e.g., XSLT or something. But XML in a Nutshell has been indispensable for me.

Answer 3

If you want a book that conveys wisdom rather than merely knowledge, I'd recommend Elliotte Rusty Harold's Effective XML. It's not a comprehensive guide to XML but reading it will make you a much better XML user so it might sit nicely alongside the other recommended books.