JavaScript: The Definitive Guide by David Flanagan
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Book Reviews of JavaScript: The Definitive Guide
Book Review: Excellent Coverage of JavaScript
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is divided into four parts - Part 1 covers core JavaScript and it has an incredible amount of detail and examples illustrating fundamentals and intricate details of the language. As the author points out amply by giving specific code examples, even experienced programmers will be surprised by unexpected behavior if they are not careful! Part 2 covers Client-Side JavaScript which is of most interest to web developers - this book simply does an outstanding job of presenting various topics in this part with amazing clarity. Part 3 has Core JavaScript Reference and some of the examples and explanations from Part 1 refer to this part. Part 4 has Client JavaScript Reference and there are references to this part from some chapters of Part 2 as you may expect. Essentially, parts 3 and 4 have the comprehensive API reference.
I read parts 1, 2 in full and I tested the code examples. For the most part, the examples run fine without any problem. The only exception was the chapter 23 that explains scripting flash and I was getting some exception when I tried to run it in both IE and Firefox. Where there are significant differences between IE and Firefox, this book does point out which is really helpful since these two are the most widely used browsers. While this book is not a light read, it is very comprehensive and therefore the only book you ever need on JavaScript. With this book (and possibly few searches on google searches), any one will have all info needed to implement specific functionality using JavaScript. Highly recommended to both novice users and highly experienced JavaScript programmers/developers.
Book Review: Best JavaScript Reference!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the 5th edition of this almost thousand page book (992), and has been pretty much the gold standard for JavaScript reference books. I have the 4th edition that came out a few years ago and it was worth upgrading to this new 5th edition.
JavaScript use has changed a lot the past few years and this new edition definitely focuses on the changes that have been following JavaScript with Ajax and DOM implementations. The book is totally updated for updated browser support (IE6, Firefox, Opera and Safari) and details any specific browser quirks as well. This book will replace your hours of surfing online for JavaScript sites looking for that one obscure thing that you can't find in your other books. I also like it because it is easy to find things with its divided sections into: Core JavaScript, Client-Side JavaScript, Core JavaScript Reference, and Client-Side JavaScript Reference.
I really can say that this book does not leave anything out. Though I'm not a JavaScript guru (yet), but this book is as complete as you'll find (even comparing it to the Bible books). This should not be your first JavaScript book, unless you have some programming background because it can be a little daunting going through everything because it is so detailed. If you do any real JavaScript programming or development (or will be doing some in the future), this definitely has to be in your bookshelf.
Book Review: JavaScript: The Deep Doctrine
Summary: 5 Stars
Note: My review is based on the 5th edition.
If you want to know how JavaScript really works, this is *the* book for exactly that. Understanding the core concepts of the language, such as the prototypical OO model, closures, functions as data, etc. will help you go far if JavaScript is something you use on daily basis.
While there are numerous JavaScript libraries in existence today (jQuery, MochiKit, Dojo, prototype, YUI, etc.) that simplify a lot of what needs to get done client-side, understanding the language itself is still necessary for those times when the abstractions that the libraries provide leak/fail or don't provide some feature you want.
If you are frustrated by JavaScript, you only need to spend the time educating yourself about how it really works. Once you do, and with some experience, you will reach that state of Nirvana that allows you to work easily in this language.
Note: This book is not a technique book - i.e. it will not really teach you any cool tricks, per se, so much as give you an undiluted understanding of the core features of the language. If you want tips/tricks/technique and already know JavaScript, you might do well to check out John Resig's APress book on JavaScript: Pro JavaScript Techniques
Book Review: [5th Edition] Excellent JavaScript reference
Summary: 5 Stars
As should be obvious from the large number of positive reviews, this is a great book. I've got a well worn 3rd edition laying around somewhere as well as an abused 4th edition I just replaced with the 5th edition. In short, if you're a new developer trying to get a grasp on serious JavaScript or otherwise looking for a quality JavaScript book, you can't go wrong with this book.
If you're debating whether or not to "upgrade" to the 5th edition, I guess I'd throw out a few thoughts:
1) If you have the 3rd edition or earlier - it's a no brainer, this book is worth the upgrade.
2) If you primarily use the Core and Client-Side Reference portions of the 4th edition (the last 1/3 of the book) - I'd say its a coin toss. The layout is a little cleaner and the information is a little easier to find, but the content hasn't changed significantly (as the APIs haven't changed). Flipping through this section, I did notice the addition of the FlashPlayer object, though.
3) If you used the first 2/3 of the 4th edition - the content and layout has changed and new stuff has been added around cookies, client side graphics, and (everybody's favorite buzzword) Ajax. Enough new stuff to warrant and upgrade, in my opinion.
For details on the changes, it would be worthwhile to read the comments from the author.
Book Review: The one JavaScript book to rule them all...
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm a technical trainer, and we've decided to distribute this book as part of our Ajax courseware. We've reviewed many other JavaScript books, but we keep coming back to this one.
Suffice to say - its an excellent Core javaScript coursebook by itself (the first 220 pages). But the latest 5th edition is also a great resource for other Web 2.0 relevant topics: Ajax/Remote Scripting, CSS, Event handling, DOM scripting, ... The fifth edition also includes comments related to the just-release Internet Explorer 7.
Add in another 100+ page Core JavaScript reference section
Plus another 240+ page Client-Side JavaScript Object reference section (classes, methods, properties, and event handlers...such as XMLHttpRequest, Document, Window, Event)
And it all adds up to one thick/heavy book that deserves to be on your bookshelf...
My only complaint - the reference section has changed. Previous editions would tell you specifically which browser versions are applicable. In this edition, the author chose to tell us what standard provides the specification. Ex: "ECMAScript v1". IMHO - I wish the reference section consistently showed both bits of information ALL the time: the specification standard, and the browsers which support it.