Best JavaScript Books

Bradley Nice

Published in

Level Up!

7 min readJul 4, 2017

by Bradley Nice, Content Manager at ClickHelp.com — software documentation tool

Wikipedia defines JavaScript the following way:

JavaScript (JS) is a high-level, dynamic, weakly typed, object-based, multi-paradigm, and interpreted programming language. Alongside HTML and CSS, JavaScript is one of the three core technologies of World Wide Web content production. It is used to make webpages interactive and provide online programs, including video games.

So what are the top trending books about JavaScript?

JavaScript: The Good Parts (eBook — $13.49, paperback — $18.41)

Considered the JavaScript expert by many people in the development community, author Douglas Crockford identifies the abundance of good ideas that make JavaScript an outstanding object-oriented programming language-ideas such as functions, loose typing, dynamic objects, and an expressive object literal notation. Unfortunately, these good ideas are mixed in with bad and downright awful ideas, like a programming model based on global variables.

When Java applets failed, JavaScript became the language of the Web by default, making its popularity almost completely independent of its qualities as a programming language. In JavaScript: The Good Parts, Crockford finally digs through the steaming pile of good intentions and blunders to give you a detailed look at all the genuinely elegant parts of JavaScript, including:

Syntax
Objects
Functions
Inheritance
Arrays
Regular expressions
Methods
Style
Beautiful features

You Don’t Know JS Book Series (6 Books)

You Don’t Know JS: Up & Going (eBook — $0.00, paperback — $4.99)
You Don’t Know JS: Scope & Closures (eBook — $11.79, paperback — $15.06)
You Don’t Know JS: this & Object Prototypes (eBook — $11.79, paperback — $18.65)
You Don’t Know JS: Types & Grammar (eBook — $11.79, paperback — $17.42)
You Don’t Know JS: Async & Performance (eBook — $15.33, paperback — $19.89)
You Don’t Know JS: ES6 & Beyond (eBook — $11.79, paperback — $17.54)

JavaScript: The Definitive Guide (eBook — $27.72, paperback — $9.90)

This Fifth Edition is completely revised and expanded to cover JavaScript as it is used in today’s Web 2.0 applications. This book is both an example-driven programmer’s guide and a keep-on-your-desk reference, with new chapters that explain everything you need to know to get the most out of JavaScript, including:

Scripted HTTP and Ajax;
XML processing;
Client-side graphics using the canvas tag;
Namespaces in JavaScript — essential when writing complex programs;
Classes, closures, persistence, Flash, and JavaScript embedded in Java applications.

Part I explains the core JavaScript language in detail. If you are new to JavaScript, it will teach you the language. If you are already a JavaScript programmer, Part I will sharpen your skills and deepen your understanding of the language.

Part II explains the scripting environment provided by web browsers, with a focus on DOM scripting with unobtrusive JavaScript. The broad and deep coverage of client-side JavaScript is illustrated with many sophisticated examples that demonstrate how to:

Generate a table of contents for an HTML document;
Display DHTML animations;
Automate form validation;
Draw dynamic pie charts;
Make HTML elements draggable;
Define keyboard shortcuts for web applications;
Create Ajax-enabled tool tips;
Use XPath and XSLT on XML documents loaded with Ajax;
And much more.

Part III is a complete reference for core JavaScript. It documents every class, object, constructor, method, function, property, and constant defined by JavaScript 1.5 and ECMAScript Version 3.

Part IV is a reference for client-side JavaScript, covering legacy web browser APIs, the standard Level 2 DOM API, and emerging standards such as the XMLHttpRequest object and the canvas tag.

Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja (paperback — $40.36)

Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja, Second Edition uses practical examples to clearly illustrate each core concept and technique. This completely revised edition shows you how to master key JavaScript concepts such as functions, closures, objects, prototypes, and promises. It covers APIs such as the DOM, events, and timers. You’ll discover best practice techniques such as testing, and cross-browser development, all taught from the perspective of skilled JavaScript practitioners.

What’s Inside

Writing more effective code with functions, objects, and closures;
Learning to avoid JavaScript application pitfalls;
Using regular expressions to write succinct text-processing code;
Managing asynchronous code with promises;
Fully revised to cover concepts from ES6 and ES7.

Effective JavaScript: 68 Specific Ways to Harness the Power of JavaScript (eBook — $23.35, paperback — $33.29)

Author David Herman, with his years of experience on Ecma’s JavaScript standardization committee, illuminates the language’s inner workings as never before — helping you take full advantage of JavaScript’s expressiveness. Reflecting the latest versions of the JavaScript standard, the book offers well-proven techniques and best practices you’ll rely on for years to come.

Effective JavaScript is organized around 68 proven approaches for writing better JavaScript, backed by concrete examples. You’ll learn how to choose the right programming style for each project, manage unanticipated problems, and work more successfully with every facet of JavaScript programming from data structures to concurrency. Key features include

Better ways to use prototype-based object-oriented programming;
Subtleties and solutions for working with arrays and dictionary objects;
Precise and practical explanations of JavaScript’s functions and variable scoping semantics;
Useful JavaScript programming patterns and idioms, such as options objects and method chaining;
In-depth guidance on using JavaScript’s unique “run-to-completion” approach to concurrency.

JavaScript Patterns: Build Better Applications with Coding and Design Patterns (eBook — $15.92, paperback — $17.15)

Written by JavaScript expert Stoyan Stefanov — Senior Yahoo! Technical and architect of YSlow 2.0, the web page performance optimization tool — JavaScript Patterns includes practical advice for implementing each pattern discussed, along with several hands-on examples. You’ll also learn about anti-patterns: common programming approaches that cause more problems than they solve.

Explore useful habits for writing high-quality JavaScript code, such as avoiding globals, using single var declarations, and more;
Learn why literal notation patterns are simpler alternatives to constructor functions;
Discover different ways to define a function in JavaScript;
Create objects that go beyond the basic patterns of using object literals and constructor functions;
Learn the options available for code reuse and inheritance in JavaScript;
Study sample JavaScript approaches to common design patterns such as Singleton, Factory, Decorator, and more;
Examine patterns that apply specifically to the client-side browser environment.

The Principles of Object-Oriented JavaScript (eBook — $11.79, paperback — $16.35)

In The Principles of Object-Oriented JavaScript, Nicholas C. Zakas thoroughly explores JavaScript’s object-oriented nature, revealing the language’s unique implementation of inheritance and other key characteristics. You’ll learn:

The difference between primitive and reference values;
What makes JavaScript functions so unique;
The various ways to create objects;
How to define your own constructors;
How to work with and understand prototypes;
Inheritance patterns for types and objects.

Eloquent JavaScript: A Modern Introduction to Programming (eBook — $20.36, paperback — $25.77)

Eloquent JavaScript, 2nd Edition dives deep into the JavaScript language to show you how to write beautiful, effective code. Author Marijn Haverbeke immerses you in example code from the start, while exercises and full-chapter projects give you hands-on experience with writing your own programs. As you build projects such as an artificial life simulation, a simple programming language, and a paint program, you’ll learn:

The essential elements of programming, including syntax, control, and data;
How to organize and clarify your code with object-oriented and functional programming techniques;
How to script the browser and make basic web applications;
How to use the DOM effectively to interact with browsers;
How to harness Node.js to build servers and utilities.

This edition is thoroughly revised and modernized to reflect the current state of JavaScript and web browsers, with brand-new material, such as a chapter on code performance in JavaScript, and expanded coverage of recursion and closures. All source code is available online in an interactive sandbox, where you can edit the code, run it, and see its output instantly.

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Have a nice day!

Bradley Nice,
Content Manager at ClickHelp.com — best online documentation tool for SaaS vendors