JavaScript is NOT a Toy (Paperback)

A superb guide. The examples are small but complete.

I picked this up after getting stuck on a project and it turned out to be exactly the right book at the right time. The exercises at the end of each chapter are worth doing — they caught a few misconceptions I did not know I had. The book rewards careful reading. Skimming it would be a mistake. If you have the prerequisites, this is an easy recommendation. I will be keeping it on my desk rather than the shelf.

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

I picked this up after getting stuck on a project and it turned out to be exactly the right book at the right time. The author avoids over-explaining, which keeps the pace up but means you need to pay attention. The progression from chapter to chapter is well thought out; nothing feels out of order. The chapters on javascript are the strongest — the examples are stripped down but complete, and I could follow along without constant guessing. Good value for the price and worth the time it takes to work through properly.

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

I was looking for something that would bridge the gap between tutorials and proper reference material, and this does that well. A few of the examples could be more realistic, but the underlying points come across clearly. There is a section near the end that ties several earlier ideas together in a way I had not seen before. This is the book I wish had existed when I started working with javascript.