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ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE
From the review collection
Reader review4 / 5
Almost excellent
Recommended, with the caveat that it is not a gentle introduction.
I had been on the fence about this one for a while, and I should have bought it sooner. The exercises at the end of each chapter are worth doing — they caught a few misconceptions I did not know I had. I particularly liked the way the author builds up from simple cases before introducing the harder material. Some terminology is introduced without much ceremony; I had to look a few things up along the way. Recommended, with the caveat that it is not a gentle introduction.
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.
Solid and well-organised. A couple of chapters dragged a little.
There is a particular kind of technical book that is dense without being difficult, and this is one of them. The index and cross-references are surprisingly good, which matters for a book I will come back to. It is denser than the page count suggests, and I found myself slowing down around the middle. Worth picking up if you already have the basics. Set realistic expectations and you will get a lot out of it.
Daniel CampbellSelf-taught developer · Melbourne, AU
I got a lot out of this, even if a few sections felt rushed.
I bought this on a whim after seeing it mentioned in a forum thread, and I am glad I did. There is a section near the end that ties several earlier ideas together in a way I had not seen before. I appreciated the honesty about what the book does not cover — it saved me from expecting things that were not there. The exercises at the end of each chapter are worth doing — they caught a few misconceptions I did not know I had. Recommended, with the caveat that it is not a gentle introduction.
The clearest explanation of javascript I have come across.
A colleague recommended this and I can see why. It does something that few technical books manage: it respects the reader's time. The balance between theory and practice is well judged; neither side dominates. The examples are small enough to type out and experiment with, which is exactly what I want from a book like this. A few of the examples could be more realistic, but the underlying points come across clearly. This is the book I wish had existed when I started working with javascript.
Worth every page. I have already recommended it to two colleagues.
I had been on the fence about this one for a while, and I should have bought it sooner. Some terminology is introduced without much ceremony; I had to look a few things up along the way. The index and cross-references are surprisingly good, which matters for a book I will come back to. The examples are small enough to type out and experiment with, which is exactly what I want from a book like this. If you have the prerequisites, this is an easy recommendation. I will be keeping it on my desk rather than the shelf.
