HTML & CSS: The Good Parts

Colophon

The animal on the cover of HTML & CSS: The Good Parts is a ring-tailed cat (Bassariscus astutus). Its Latin name means “cunning little fox,” though it is neither a cat nor a fox; it’s a mammal in the raccoon family. The ring-tailed cat is native to the southwestern United States and Mexico and prefers rocky, semiarid habitats, including deserts. It can also be found in woodland areas.

True to its name, the animal’s tail—which is longer than the rest of its body—displays rings of black and white fur, contrasting with its body’s dark brown color. It is nocturnal and omnivorous, foraging for fruits and berries and preying on small rodents, lizards, and birds after dusk. To help in these tasks, it boasts incredibly flexible ankle joints—capable of rotating over 180 degrees that allow it to climb and move along narrow ledges quickly.

Ringtails are easily tamed if found when young. Settlers in the American southwest often kept them as pets, using them to keep their homes free of rodents, earning them the nickname “miner’s cat.”

The cover image is from The Riverside Natural History. The cover font is Adobe ITC Garamond. The text font is Linotype Birka; the heading font is Adobe Myriad Condensed; and the code font is LucasFont’s TheSansMonoCondensed.