DocBook: The Definitive Guide is the complete and official documentation of the DocBook Document Type Definition (DTD) and many of its associated tools.

DocBook is a system for writing structured documents using SGML and XML. DocBook, provides all the elements you'll need for technical documents of all kinds. A number of computer companies use DocBook for their documentation, as do several Open Source documentation groups, including the Linux Documentation Project (LDP). With the consistent use of DocBook, these groups can readily share and exchange information. With an XML-enabled browser, DocBook documents are as accessible on the Web as in print.

DocBook: The Definitive Guide was written by Norman Walsh, the author of the XML implementation of the DocBook DTD; and Leonard Muellner, the manager of O'Reilly & Associates' Production Tools Group.

In this book, you'll find:

* A brief introduction to SGML and XML
* A guide to creating documents with the DocBook DTD and associated stylesheets
* Information about using SGML and XML tools like Jade and DSSSL
* An guide to customizing DocBook
* A complete SGML and XML reference, including examples, for every DocBook element

In addition, the CDROM contains:

* The complete source text of this book, in both SGML and HTML
* All the examples from the book
* DSSSL Stylesheets that let you convert DocBook documents to RTF, LaTeX, or HTML
* The DocBook DTD for SGML, version 3.1
* The DocBk DTD for XML, version 3.1.5

Oasis, the organization that is the official maintainer of the DocBook DTD, has identified DocBook: the Definitive Guide as the official documentation for the DocBook DTD.