Reader reviews

A useful guide. The examples assume a particular environment, but that is fixable.

This is the third book I have read on javascript this year, and it is comfortably the best of them. The author clearly knows the subject deeply and has thought hard about how to teach it. The examples are small enough to type out and experiment with, which is exactly what I want from a book like this. The examples are small enough to type out and experiment with, which is exactly what I want from a book like this. Four stars, and I suspect a second edition could easily push it to five.

Finally, a book that treats javascript with the care it deserves.

A colleague recommended this and I can see why. It does something that few technical books manage: it respects the reader's time. The examples are small enough to type out and experiment with, which is exactly what I want from a book like this. The code samples assume a particular environment, which took a bit of fiddling to get running properly. The author clearly knows the subject deeply and has thought hard about how to teach it. One of those books that pays for itself within the first few chapters. Highly recommended.

I got a lot out of this, even if a few sections felt rushed.

A colleague recommended this and I can see why. It does something that few technical books manage: it respects the reader's time. A couple of chapters felt like they could have been merged, but that is a minor complaint. The exercises at the end of each chapter are worth doing — they caught a few misconceptions I did not know I had. Solid, and I would buy another book from this author without hesitation.

A genuinely enjoyable read that also taught me a great deal.

A colleague recommended this and I can see why. It does something that few technical books manage: it respects the reader's time. The early chapters move quickly through material I already knew, but the later sections were genuinely new to me. The examples are small enough to type out and experiment with, which is exactly what I want from a book like this. Some of the diagrams are dense and I had to reread a few sections, though that may just be me. Worth the money and the reading time, without hesitation.

The clearest explanation of javascript I have come across.

I was looking for something that would bridge the gap between tutorials and proper reference material, and this does that well. It is denser than the page count suggests, and I found myself slowing down around the middle. I appreciated the honesty about what the book does not cover — it saved me from expecting things that were not there. The early chapters move quickly through material I already knew, but the later sections were genuinely new to me. This is the book I wish had existed when I started working with javascript.

An enjoyable and informative read, though it could have been shorter.

I was looking for something that would bridge the gap between tutorials and proper reference material, and this does that well. Some of the diagrams are dense and I had to reread a few sections, though that may just be me. The balance between theory and practice is well judged; neither side dominates. A good addition to a technical library, as long as you know what you are buying.