Text Basics - HTML and XHTML: The Definitive Guide - page 197

The RGB color value, denoted by a preceding pound sign, is a six-digit
hexadecimal number. The first two digits are the red component, from
00 (no red) to FF (bright red). Similarly, the next two digits are the
green component and the last two digits are the blue component. Black
is the absence of color, #000000; white is all colors, #FFFFFF.
For example, to create basic yellow text, you might use:
Here comes the <font color="#FFFF00">sun</font>!
Alternatively, you can set the enclosed font color using any one of the
many standard color names. See Appendix G for a list of common ones.
For instance, you could have made the previous sample text yellow with
the following source:
Here comes the <font color=yellow>sun</font>!
4.10.3.3. The face attribute
In earlier versions, Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator let you
change the font style in a text passage with the face attribute for the
<font> tag. [*] While this is still supported in most browsers, we strongly
recommend that you manage your font faces using appropriate styles.
Interpretation of the face attribute varies among browsers and missing
glyphs within a font can cause unexpected behavior with the displayed
text.
[*] For the HTML purist, the once-powerful user who had ultimate control over the browser, this is egre-
gious indeed. Form over function; look over contentwhat's next? Embedded video commercials you
can't stop?
The quote-enclosed value of face is one or more display font names sep-
arated with commas. The font face displayed by the browser depends on
which fonts are available on the individual user's system. The browser