Eloquent JavaScript, 2nd Ed.: A Modern Introduction to Programming

I had programmed in C for twenty years but needed to learn JavaScript and this book was excellent. It is like working with a mentor who is showing you the ins and outs—the good, the bad, and ugly—of working with JavaScript. And, after describing the theory, this mentor is dolling out digestible exercises and projects to reinforce what you have learned. The book is well-written, just the right amount of descriptive text and code illustrations, and Haverbeke does not belabor points and concepts that are obvious to experienced programmers. The examples in the text are pithy but instructive; the exercises at the end of the chapters are short but not trivial, and really force you to demonstrate you masterly of the conceptHere’s the only problem with book: it is completely bereft of figures, and this detracts from the presentation in the project chapters, where some diagrams showing the relationship between the data structures and the methods would be helpful. As I wrote earlier, Haverbeke is like an excellent mentor showing a junior programmer in the ins and outs of JavaScript with a library of excellent examples but with not white board. In some sections, there is just too much prose description without a theory of operation description with a figure or two.All that said, this is an outstanding book for learning how to program in JavaScript. It is not for someone learning how to program—they will be completely frustrated using this book. It is too difficult. But if you already know how to program and are trying to learn and master JavaScript, this book is outstanding.

I took a couple AP classes for Java in high school and passed them. I began playing a game called screeps recently which was in JavaScript. Even though they say java and JavaScript are as similar as car and carpet I find that false. I was able to transition pretty easily... just remove int, char, string, etc with var or let and whatever else basically... some other things.This book is my first real training in JavaScript besides just guessing what it means when looking at examples (and it works since it’s similar.. but probably easier to go from Java to JavaScript than JavaScript to Java idk).This book is teaching me things I don’t remember in school or that they are only applicable to this and not Java. Very glad I got it.The reason I purchased this book and not another was simply the table of contents. It looked like it was in depth and logically layed out. I hoped the content would follow and so far I don’t regret the purchase but at actually excited to learn new tricks.

I love this book. Why? Because it uses common sense and a broader view of programming unlike many other books which go on and on about the commands, value etc. of a language without really explaining the WHY of programming. Those books create robots who mindlessly code but are incapable of thinking for themselves (similar to a lot of coding schools).That said, this is book is more philosophical than actual learning of JS. It is NOT for beginners. Here is what I would suggest you do if you are new to JS.-Learn basic JS programming online, MSDN is an excellent source to learn step by step and there are many simple online step by step classes.-If you are new to programming, the best advice i ever got was --Learn only one language and master it well. That is it. Don;t run after every shiny thing.-Then come back to this book. You will appreciate it more.This book however, makes you think-which is rare nowadays. I like how he takes us through what programming is and how to think about code. I would recommend that you go through some simple online exercises in javascript before you open this book.

I just received it a couple of days ago so naturally, I haven't finished it. However, it felt right to express my opinion.The book's first parts are perfect for beginners, if you are one, without computing background, you might feel overwhelmed however if you play with the mini programs the author gives to you on your computer, you'll understand the basic concepts of programming.As far as I can see, the book explains very well the concepts, and the author lets us know about the caveats of the language and technicalities of it in bits and pieces as he feels they should be taught. I really like how he approaches the teaching of this language.I can't wait to get to the most advanced concepts which is why I ordered the book, but I am taking my time to read it from the start since it provides very important and often overlooked implementation details that are not mentioned at online tutorials and such. I feel happy. I'll update as I go on reading.

I love this book, but not without qualification. I still believe it has one major flaw: though it is marketed as an "introductory" book, my strong opinion is that it is not for beginners. If you have a programming background but have never worked with JavaScript before, you will find that this book moves as a quick, comfortable pace introducing you to the specifics of JavaScript without all the hand-holding that a more beginner-friendly introduction provides. However, if you are brand-new to programming then I strongly recommend working through a different book first before tackling Eloquent JavaScript. The first programming book I read was JavaScript for Kids: A Playful Introduction to Programming by Nick Morgan, also published by No Starch Press. Morgan takes a more beginner-friendly approach and spends a lot more time to introduce JavaScript and basic programming concepts than Haverbeke does. I am very glad that I did not attempt Eloquent JavaScript as a complete beginner, because I believe it would have caused me to become frustrated and discouraged very quickly.

Use this book to mature your programming skills and see a glimpse of how elegant functional programming is. Improve yourself by indulging in making two games, a programming language and learn about basic website development.

The first thing that I like about this book is the way that is written, the author is using very goo examples to explain the different problems/concepts. It is easy to read and understandable.It has short examples that are limited per chapter which for me was easy to follow. Even though I am advanced JavaScript developer I had some things to learn from this book. The author does not go too deep in the subject but he gives you explanation and he is pointing you in which direction you should go if you want to learn more.As I said this is one of the top 3 books that I have read on the subject of JavaScript. I highly recommend it for every JavaScript developer, no matter if he is beginner or advanced.

This book is a good reference to Web Development and programming in general.Its exercises are a good complement to practice and test your skills.

Creo que Eloquent JavaScript es el mejor libro para iniciarse en la programación, en concreto con JavaScript. Obviamente antes hay que saber lo básico, haber visto y escrito un alert o un console.log y un poco de sintaxis. Las 5 estrellas se las doy porque explica muy bien como debe usarse el lenguaje y lleva un buen hilo conductor, las partes están bien ordenadas y perfectamente explicadas. Sin duda lo recomiendo.