I'm glad I bought this book
I just needed a hand to automate some forms and this book did it for me quickly and painlessly. There may be better Javascript books around but this one makes it easy. He presents the information in a simple way that you can start using right away. The biggest problem for people starting out is too much detailed explanation that you can learn later as you get the hang of the language. This book is organized in a logical and practical approach. You can start writing code almost right away and you don't have to be a rocket surgeon. The back of the book has projects, a language reference section and a good index. The proof is in the pudding; it works.
Very Decent Book, but Publisher Is Being Cheap!
First off, ***very*** disappointed that No Starch Press has decided to cheapen the book's look and feel by reprinting the current batch with thinner paper (~24 or 28-lb. paper, a bit heavier than plain copier paper) compared to the nice "hardcover-book-quality" 60-lb. paper stated in the colophon, even though the colophon still lists the paper used as being 60-lbs. A previous printing of the book also had blue-colored text, which really added a welcome "visual comfort" that's now sadly lacking. Look at a copy from the older print run in your local public library and you'll see what I mean. It simply looks and feels like a cheaper product now.
Having said all that, I think this is a very decent book for newbies, with a fairly "traditional textbook" approach to learning JavaScript. By "fairly traditional" I mean that its pedagogy is straightforward and the material is covered in the way you'd expect (nothing like "Head First JavaScript," which I also recommend as a good companion learning tool to this title [since you really can't expect to learn with just one book, especially if you're a newbie to programming]). I especially like how an English-Italian translation program is developed in the later parts of the book, tying together the various JavaScript and Ajax concepts explored.
So I would have given the book three stars for being a good, solid if unspectacular text but the cheaper paper and lack of blue ink in addition to black makes me unhappy.
THE Book to get if you want to learn Javascript quickly
I looked at this book, the Visual QuickStart Book (Negrino/Smith), and the Dummies book (Vander Veer). I also looked at a couple of other basic books. This is by the far the best. This one will get you up and running doing some basic, though nifty, Javascript tasks. And it is very well written.
It was better organized than the Dummies book, and much more clear than the Visual Quickstart Guide. It was also more advanced than books like 'Javascript Demystified' or the Sam's Teach Yourself. The only bad thing I could say about the book is that it is a bit wordy at points.
If you need to do more advanced stuff, you can get one of the more advanced books.
Well-Written, Sane Examples and Fun to Read
If you want to learn Javascript, this is an excellent book. It's a good read. Even though thau is an internet god, there's no ego in this book. It's clear he only wants to share his knowledge and bring more people into the web development fold.
I hope he's getting rich.
If you're more advanced this book is not for you...
I bought this book becuase I read several reviews that stated this book would be great for those who are more advanced in scripting as well as the beginner. I did not find that to be the case. The one good thing I will say is that it was clear and easy to read, so if you're new to the world of JS, this book will suit your needs.
