Hey there, fellow JavaScript enthusiast! 🎉 If you’re on a quest to unlock the full potential of this dynamic scripting language, you’re in the right place! JavaScript is a powerhouse in the world of software development in all its genres, whether for web development, mobile development, desktop development, or whatever! Moreover, it is well-suited to object-oriented and functional programming styles. So, mastering it opens up a realm of possibilities for your coding journey. But you know what? with countless books to learn JavaScript out there, finding the real gems can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. Fear not! We’ve done the heavy lifting and sifted through the pages to curate a list of the 5 best JavaScript books that are guaranteed to take your skills to the next level – Of course, if you’re a well-determined and hard-working buddy.
So, grab your favourite beverage. Find a cosy spot, and get ready to dive into the most sought-after JavaScript tomes that will supercharge your coding prowess. Let’s embark on this enlightening journey together, shall we? 📘✨
Hold on a second,
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1. “Eloquent JavaScript: A Modern Introduction to Programming” by Marijn Haverbeke
For novice programmers, this is a wise choice! This book was written by Marijn Haverbeke, and now its third edition is available since 2018. The author is a software developer, educator and most importantly a JavaScript advocate. He’s known for his contributions to the open-source community and to various JavaScript projects and libraries.
In his book, he strived for simplicity and clarity. This is the reason why it goes on the list of JavaScript books for beginners. Nevertheless, there’s room for intermediate javascript developers as well to take profit from it. In fact, the main strength of Marijn Haverbeke’s work is the fact that it starts with the basics of the language and gradually builds up to more advanced concepts. It uses a learner-friendly style and avoids the overuse of technical jargon.
So, the teaching method of this book is highly dependent on progressive learning empowered by the variety of practical exercises and real-world examples at each learning step. Moreover, the author emphasises problem-solving skills throughout his book. Readers are meant to think critically and creatively to deal with the different coding challenges in the book. One more last thing is that the book is characterized by its coverage of modern JavaScript ensuring that readers are introduced to contemporary best practices.
Despite the fact that this book is a suitable option for newbies, it’s a popular choice among learners of all levels. Here’s what users think about it,
By the time of writing this blog post, the book has received more than 1600 ratings 91% of which are 5 and 4 stars, and as you might have noticed, this book is a Best Seller on Amazon!
2. “JavaScript: The Definitive Guide” by David Flanagan
Knowing that we’re already at the seventh edition, gives you a quick insight about the value of this book! In fact, the book has been periodically updated since 1998. David Flanagan, a software developer, author and educator specializing in JavaScript, crafted an extensive guide of more than 700 pages.
In fact, if you’re looking for a JavaScript reference guide, no matter your level, this book might be the right choice. It’s featured by its extensive wide coverage of all JavaScript aspects from fundamentals to more advanced ones. Besides covering the language in-depth, its practical side focuses on web development, showing case the use of JavaScript to create interactive and dynamic web pages. The book gets often updated reflecting changes and advancements in JavaScript. The reason for which there’re multiple editions of this book.
“JavaScript: The Definitive Guide” is widely praised for its depth of content, accuracy, and the way it caters to developers at various levels of expertise. Whether you are a beginner learning JavaScript or an experienced developer seeking a reliable reference, this book is highly recommended for its comprehensive and up-to-date coverage of the language.
By the time of writing this, the book has got more than 1200 ratings on Amazon. 92% of them have given 4 and 5 starts.
3. “You Don’t Know JS Yet” series by Kyle Simpson
The first edition of this series is composed of six books, and mostly abbreviated YDKJS among the JavaScript community on the Internet. It has gained popularity and users got used to it and have thought that it was the first and the last edition. Nevertheless, A second edition of the same series had come out. The first book of the second edition was first published on January 28, 2020. Since then this book and another one were put for sale. Kyle Simpson explained on his Linkedin profile,
Kyle Simpson, commonly known as “Getify,” is a software developer, educator, and prominent figure in the JavaScript community. He’s meant to be an experienced JavaScript developer. He has contributed to several open-source projects and developed various tools to aid in building web applications.
Kyle focuses on teaching a specific aspect of JavaScript in a separate book. Each book provides in-depth coverage of the topic it addresses. The books are practical in nature as the explanations are fostered with hands-on exercises and real-world projects using modern JavaScript.
YDKJS is a valuable resource for developers who want to deepen their understanding of the language and become more proficient in using it. In its second edition, many users have left their ratings and opinion about it. Here’s an example from Amazon,
Despite the small number of reviewers at the time of writing this post (484 ratings), 98% of them have given 4 and 5 stars to it. This might be a good indicator to encourage you to try this book.
4. “A Smarter Way to Learn JavaScript” By Mark Myers
“Learning by doing” is the essence of this book in its first edition. It has gained popularity since it was first published in March 2014. The author, Marks Myers has got a brilliant idea to provide his readers access to an interactive online platform to practice coding and test their understanding.
The author wrote this book mainly for beginners. The book, in fact, teaches them JavaScript step-by-step in an incremental fashion. Furthermore, learning through this book is fostered by means of visual aids and techniques such as reinforcement and repetition which makes it more enjoyable and effective.
Overall, the book is based on a well-established learning approach. Despite how new to programming the readers are, It aims mainly to empower them to become confident JavaScript developers with less effort compared to traditional learning methods. Stats on Amazon reflect the impact this book has on the JavaScript community. Here’s the proof,
With almost 3000 ratings where 89% of them are 4 and 5 stars, this is the most-rated book in our list.
5. “JavaScript: The Good Parts” by Douglas Crockford
Old but gold! This book was first released in May 2008. The author’s name is Douglas Crockford who works as a software architect. He is known for his contributions to JavaScript programming language development notably his work on JSON.
The author’s main goal, throughout his book, is to teach us how to write effective code using JavaScript’s good parts. Moreover, It teaches us to avoid its bad parts as well. Indeed, JavaScript is sometimes considered the world’s most misunderstood programming language. Therefore, this book tries to clear up this confusion. It focuses on highlighting the most essential and valuable parts of JavaScript, and how to use them efficiently for clean, efficient, and maintainable code.
The teaching approach of this book is straightforward and clear fostered by many simple hands-on and practical examples. This book could be a valuable resource for both beginner and experienced JavaScript developers to take their understanding of different JavaScript concepts to the next level.
Douglas Crockford’s book hadn’t received any major updates. Nevertheless, it has remained a timeless classic in the JavaScript community. We can sense this from users’ ratings of the book.
By the time of writing this article, the book has received more than 1400 ratings 88% of which are 5 and 4 stars!
EDIT: Bonus Book Suggestion
I said five books! But, I’ve recently come across another great resource. A book that I think I should give a quick shout-out to. The book title is Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja 2nd Edition. In fact, the community is very excited about this book. It has more than 1200 ratings (4.2) on GoodReads and a 4.5 score on Amazon! The author claims that he uses practical examples in his book and covers key JavaScript concepts taught from the perspective of skilled JavaScript practitioners.
Conclusion
And there you have it! The top 5 JavaScript books that are sure to take your coding skills to the next level. Whether you’re a beginner eager to dive into the world of JavaScript language or an experienced developer looking to brush up on the latest advancements, these books have got you covered. So, what are you waiting for? Grab your copy of “JavaScript: The Good Parts,” “Eloquent JavaScript,” “You Don’t Know JS Yet,” “Effective JavaScript,” and “JavaScript: The Definitive Guide” now, and let the learning journey begin!
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You can still use the comment section below to suggest your list of best books for JavaScript. In fact, sharing is carrying 😉
Happy coding and happy reading! 🔥💻📚