Rating: 

After beginning with the performance golden rule and a brief introduction http the book devotes a chapter to each of the fourteen optimization rules that the author has developed while working at Yahoo!. The rules are presented in order of importance. The final chapter analyzes some high profile web sites to see how they stack up.

This book taught me a lot about how to optimize the loading of the web sites I write. Books like this are ones that I devour quickly and then want to share with others so they can befit. The small size of this book goes hand in hand with this desire. Since it is such a quick read coworkers are more likely to be willing to read it and less likely to put it off.

The explanations of each rule give you a clear understanding of the "whys" and not just the "hows". Most of the rules are illustrated with examples hosted on the authors web site (http://stevesouders.com/hpws/). You'll want to have had some experience developing web sites to gain the most from this book.

If you are in need of speeding up a web page, but don't know where to start I'd recommend this book. It is filled with practical first-hand knowledge and insight. Who knows, you may want to loan it out to a friend or two when you are finished. I know I do.