Reader reviews

An enjoyable and informative read, though it could have been shorter.

A colleague recommended this and I can see why. It does something that few technical books manage: it respects the reader's time. Some terminology is introduced without much ceremony; I had to look a few things up along the way. I appreciated the honesty about what the book does not cover — it saved me from expecting things that were not there. The writing is direct and does not waste space on filler, which I value in a technical book. Recommended, with the caveat that it is not a gentle introduction.

Decent, but uneven. Some chapters are much stronger than others.

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 progression from chapter to chapter is well thought out; nothing feels out of order. There is a section near the end that ties several earlier ideas together in a way I had not seen before. Useful as a reference, less so as a straight read from cover to cover.

Good value. Not perfect, but I would buy another book from this author.

I read this over a couple of weekends alongside a small side project, which turned out to be the ideal way to approach it. I found myself making notes in the margins, which is always a good sign. The exercises at the end of each chapter are worth doing — they caught a few misconceptions I did not know I had. A good addition to a technical library, as long as you know what you are buying.

The clearest explanation of simulation I have come across.

I have been working with simulation for a few years now and I still found plenty here that was new to me. The author is unusually honest about where the simplifications break down, which I appreciated. The code samples assume a particular environment, which took a bit of fiddling to get running properly. Some of the diagrams are dense and I had to reread a few sections, though that may just be me. This is the book I wish had existed when I started working with simulation.

Very good, with a few caveats. The core material is strong.

This is the third book I have read on latex this year, and it is comfortably the best of them. Some of the diagrams are dense and I had to reread a few sections, though that may just be me. The examples are small enough to type out and experiment with, which is exactly what I want from a book like this. The early chapters move quickly through material I already knew, but the later sections were genuinely new to me. Recommended, with the caveat that it is not a gentle introduction.

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

This is the third book I have read on javascript this year, and it is comfortably the best of them. A couple of chapters felt like they could have been merged, but that is a minor complaint. I appreciated the honesty about what the book does not cover — it saved me from expecting things that were not there. The early chapters move quickly through material I already knew, but the later sections were genuinely new to me. If you have the prerequisites, this is an easy recommendation. I will be keeping it on my desk rather than the shelf.