As a n00b to web development, this book was not appropriate for me, and in retrospect, I realize I must not have been the intended audience. As a person who has taught and practiced technical writing and composition in the past, I would say that this book was intended for someone who was already familiar with other scripting languages and was looking for a quick entrance into Javascript. For my part, I was hoping for more explanation of the basic mechanics of Javascript and the DOM than this text offers. I haven't gotten past the initial chapter on defining variables and DOM, as both chapters used unfamiliar technical terms and concepts without explaining them. Why have an introductory chapter on DOM without explaining, step-by-step, what the explanatory terms mean? In other words, each concept could and should be further disaggregated and explained. This is NOT a book for the beginner!!

However, beginners take heart! I'm happy to report that I have found a truly helpful line of books with which to compare this book (and the O'Reily line of books, in general). After purchasing and reading through a couple of books from this aforementioned line (including one on CSS and XHTML), which ARE suited for the beginner, I can say with confidence that a beginner's book can be written and is available. I won't name the line (as I don't intend for this review to be an advertisement), but I will say that it is associated with a popular on-line development website and forum, and one can find it by looking around the developer forums. (One can even download free chapters of these books for personal review!!) If the books give you hangups -- which I doubt -- then one can easily go to the forum (which is quite hospitable to n00bs!!) and tune in to some truly "open-source" learning. Ask an intelligent, thoughtful question and the forum will respond.

As far as _Learning Javascript_, I would say that perhaps someone already initiated into the developer scene could benefit from this book. But, then, why bother when more comprehensive references are available? For my part, I'll reread the book when I have a basic working knowledge of Javascript and see what I can pick up. After all, I do own it, now. It will make an alright back-up reference. Best wishes, fellow n00bs!!

"Learning JavaScript by Shelley Powers is great reference for beginners to learn JS and then get involve into AJAX world later , Shelley Powers did great job the book is well written and explain JavaScript from programmer viewpoint.

this book covers all fundamentals of Javascript, the book contain 14 chapters and broken into four section :

Chapter 1 through 3 provide an introduction to the structure o JavaScript application.

Chapter 4 through 8 introduce the main JavaScript objects, including the all important functions.

chapter 9 through 11 covers the browser object model and the newer document object model .

chapter 12 through 14 get into the advanced uses JavaScript including DHTML and AJAX.

Every chapter contain questions and the answer available in the appendix ."

'Learning JavaScript' by Shelley Powers is an exceptional book for becoming a Javascript superuser TO-DAY!! With over 300 pages of content written in a manner that is perfect for newbies and even experienced developers looking to pick up something new. The latest edition of this fantastic book covers the newest hot fad technology AJAX and the information is spread out over 14 chapters. I absolutely love the 'Learning' books by O'Reilly, as these books do exactly that. When I see the word 'Learning' in front of a technology, I want to be able to envision said book being like starting a course taught in the classroom. With this book I can do exactly that, taking my skills to the next level!

If you are a web developer and use Javascript on a daily basis in your life, this is the perfect starting point for you to become a better programmer. If you are an experienced programmer and want to start using Ajax, this is also a wonderful option for you. Fantastic O'Reilly styling, great writing, and easy content, this is awesome!!

***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I recently purchased this book based on a lot of the positive feedback it had received in comparison to other JS books. However, after reading the book I was sorely disappointed and here's why:

1. Book is Full of Errors -- Over 400 Errors to be Exact...
This book is full of errors, both in the code samples as well as in the explanations. This is further solidified by the fact that the book's accompanying errata page (found via the O'Reilly web site) currently lists 400+ official and user-submitted errors and amendments to the book. I think I speak for every consumer when I say that purchasing a technology-based book with a bunch of errors is simply unacceptable and a total waste of money.

While many of the errors are simple and are relatively easy to fix if you're an experienced programmer, most of them may vex readers that are new to JS and programming in general. I buy a book of this caliber to learn and NOT to fix somebody's code samples.

2. JavaScript...What JavaScript?
The majority of this book deals mainly with programming practices and standards, most of which you can find online or in other manuals. I purchased this book to learn more about JavaScript but instead got a manual on object-oriented scripting, and many techniques that are impractical when applied to JS.

3. Vague Code Samples
The book suffers greatly from ambiguous code samples that introduce concepts that are not clearly explained or not explained at all. Again, if you're an intermediate programmer or have had experience with JS in the past, you may be able to decipher the cryptic code samples in this book. Otherwise, seek another source to truly learn JS from the start, such as "The Book of JavaScript, 2nd Edition: A Practical Guide to Interactive Web Pages."

Overall, this book had a couple of decent chapters that answered some questions that I had about JS. But the reason I purchased the book was to learn JS from the start. I made the safe assumption that this book would help me accomplish my goal since it's clearly called "Learning JavaScript." Ultimately, I learned only one new thing (towards the end of the book) that dealt with some AJAX and DHTML. I highly suggest reading another book first then perhaps revisiting this one later.

Learning JavaScript
by Shelley Powers
Copyright 2007
ISBN-10: 0-596-52746-2 or ISBN-13: 978-0-596-52746-4

Review written by Linda Weller


This book was really a surprise!! I wasn't sure that I was going to like it. It however, proved to be packed with lots of useful information. As a huge fan of ActionScript, I saw the many parallels that are spoken of in regards to these two languages. It was fun going through it to see that there is so much I already know of JavaScript because I know ActionScript.

There are similarities but, there are also differences. One being that JavaScript hasn't gone in the direction of OOP as much as ActionScript has.

Shelley makes clear that Java Script cross-browser incompatibility has been based on DOM or CSS differences not the Java Script language.

JavaScript is useful for form field validation, setting and retrieving web cookies, providing feedback for incorrect form entries, hiding and showing elements, moving elements about the page, capturing user events and adjusting them on the page accordingly, scrolling content, and interfacing with a server-side application without leaving the page.

The syntax for including a JavaScript library or script file in your web page is