JavaScript is NOT a Toy (Paperback)

Better than I expected. Rare to find a technical book this well judged.

I have been working with javascript for a few years now and I still found plenty here that was new to me. There is a section near the end that ties several earlier ideas together in a way I had not seen before. The book rewards careful reading. Skimming it would be a mistake. 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 read this over a couple of weekends alongside a small side project, which turned out to be the ideal way to approach it. The author avoids over-explaining, which keeps the pace up but means you need to pay attention. The writing is direct and does not waste space on filler, which I value in a technical book. I found myself making notes in the margins, which is always a good sign. One of those books that pays for itself within the first few chapters. Highly recommended.

Some sections were excellent and others felt like filler.

I was looking for something that would bridge the gap between tutorials and proper reference material, and this does that well. The early chapters move quickly through material I already knew, but the later sections were genuinely new to me. The index and cross-references are surprisingly good, which matters for a book I will come back to. A couple of chapters felt like they could have been merged, but that is a minor complaint. Useful as a reference, less so as a straight read from cover to cover.