JavaScript in 20 Minutes (Coffee Break Series)

Excellent from start to finish. No filler, no padding.

I came to this book already familiar with the basics, and it still had plenty to offer. The examples are small enough to type out and experiment with, which is exactly what I want from a book like this. There is a section near the end that ties several earlier ideas together in a way I had not seen before. I have already recommended it to two colleagues and will recommend it to more.

The clearest explanation of javascript I have come across.

I picked this up after getting stuck on a project and it turned out to be exactly the right book at the right time. The author is unusually honest about where the simplifications break down, which I appreciated. There is a section near the end that ties several earlier ideas together in a way I had not seen before. If you have the prerequisites, this is an easy recommendation. I will be keeping it on my desk rather than the shelf.

Genuinely excellent — I finished it in a week and immediately started again.

I have been working with javascript for a few years now and I still found plenty here that was new to me. The balance between theory and practice is well judged; neither side dominates. The author clearly knows the subject deeply and has thought hard about how to teach it. The author avoids over-explaining, which keeps the pace up but means you need to pay attention. An easy five stars from me. I look forward to whatever the author writes next.