Reader reviews

Outstanding. I kept finding reasons to come back to it.

This is the third book I have read on javascript this year, and it is comfortably the best of them. The author avoids over-explaining, which keeps the pace up but means you need to pay attention. The early chapters move quickly through material I already knew, but the later sections were genuinely new to me. An easy five stars from me. I look forward to whatever the author writes next.

Well worth picking up if you already have the basics.

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 balance between theory and practice is well judged; neither side dominates. Some of the diagrams are dense and I had to reread a few sections, though that may just be me. Worth picking up if you already have the basics. Set realistic expectations and you will get a lot out of it.

A worthwhile addition to my shelf, with realistic expectations.

I bought this on a whim after seeing it mentioned in a forum thread, and I am glad I did. The writing is direct and does not waste space on filler, which I value in a technical book. I appreciated the honesty about what the book does not cover — it saved me from expecting things that were not there. I found myself making notes in the margins, which is always a good sign. Solid, and I would buy another book from this author without hesitation.

Very good, with a few caveats. The core material is strong.

I came to this book already familiar with the basics, and it still had plenty to offer. A couple of chapters felt like they could have been merged, but that is a minor complaint. The examples are small enough to type out and experiment with, which is exactly what I want from a book like this. The author clearly knows the subject deeply and has thought hard about how to teach it. A good addition to a technical library, as long as you know what you are buying.

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. The index and cross-references are surprisingly good, which matters for a book I will come back to. The early chapters move quickly through material I already knew, but the later sections were genuinely new to me. Recommended, with the caveat that it is not a gentle introduction.

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

I came to this book already familiar with the basics, and it still had plenty to offer. The balance between theory and practice is well judged; neither side dominates. The author clearly knows the subject deeply and has thought hard about how to teach it. The writing is direct and does not waste space on filler, which I value in a technical book. Worth picking up if you already have the basics. Set realistic expectations and you will get a lot out of it.