In this post, we have prepared a curated top list of reading recommendations for beginners and experienced. This hand-picked list of the best Javascript books and tutorials can help fill your brain this May and ensure you’re getting smarter. We have also mentioned the brief introduction of each book based on the relevant Amazon or Reddit descriptions.
- 1. A Smarter Way to Learn JavaScript (2014)
- 2. JavaScript and JQuery (2014)
- 3. JavaScript: The Good Parts (2008)
- 4. JavaScript: The Definitive Guide (2011)
- 5. Web Design with HTML, CSS, JavaScript (2014)
- 6. You Don’t Know JS: Up & Going (2015)
- 7. Murach’s JavaScript and jQuery (3rd Edition) (2017)
- 8. Eloquent JavaScript, 2nd Ed.: A Modern Introduction to Programming (2014)
- 9. The Principles of Object-Oriented JavaScript (2014)
- 10. Learning JavaScript: JavaScript Essentials for Modern Application Development (2016)
- 11. Head First JavaScript Programming (2014)
- 12. JavaScript Absolute Beginner’s Guide (2016)
- Related YouTube Video
1. A Smarter Way to Learn JavaScript (2014)
Learning JavaScript is hell because of two problems. I remove the problems, and you start having fun. The first problem is retention. You remember only ten or twenty percent of what you read. That spells failure. To become fluent in a computer language, you have to retain pretty much everything. How can you retain everything? Only by constantly being asked to play everything back. That’s why people use flashcards. But my system does flashcards one better. After reading a short chapter, you go to my website and complete twenty interactive exercises.
Author(s): Mark Myers
2. JavaScript and JQuery (2014)
This full-color book will show you how to make your websites more interactive and your interfaces more interesting and intuitive. Basic programming concepts – assuming no prior knowledge of programming beyond an ability to create a web page using HTML & CSS. Core elements of the JavaScript language – so you can learn how to write your own scripts from scratch. jQuery – which will allow you to simplify the process of writing scripts (this is introduced half-way through the book once you have…
Author(s): Jon Duckett
3. JavaScript: The Good Parts (2008)
Most programming languages contain good and bad parts, but JavaScript has more than its share of the bad, having been developed and released in a hurry before it could be refined. This authoritative book scrapes away these bad features to reveal a subset of JavaScript that’s more reliable, readable, and maintainable than the language as a whole—a subset you can use to create truly extensible and efficient code. Considered the JavaScript expert by many people in the development community, author…
Author(s): Douglas Crockford
4. JavaScript: The Definitive Guide (2011)
Since 1996, JavaScript: The Definitive Guide has been the bible for JavaScript programmers—a programmer’s guide and comprehensive reference to the core language and to the client-side JavaScript APIs defined by web browsers. The 6th edition covers HTML5 and ECMAScript 5. Many chapters have been completely rewritten to bring them in line with today’s best web development practices. New chapters in this edition document jQuery and server side JavaScript. It’s recommended for experienced programmers who want…
Author(s): David Flanagan
5. Web Design with HTML, CSS, JavaScript (2014)
A two-book set for web designers and front-end developers. This two-book set combines the titles HTML & CSS: Designing and Building Web Sites and JavaScript & jQuery: Interactive Front-End Development. Together these two books form an ideal platform for anyone who wants to master HTML and CSS before stepping up to JavaScript and jQuery. HTML & CSS covers structure, text, links, images, tables, forms, useful options, adding style with CSS, fonts…
Author(s): Jon Duckett
6. You Don’t Know JS: Up & Going (2015)
It’s easy to learn parts of JavaScript, but much harder to learn it completely—or even sufficiently—whether you’re new to the language or have used it for years. With the “You Don’t Know JS” book series, you’ll get a more complete understanding of JavaScript, including trickier parts of the language that many experienced JavaScript programmers simply avoid. The series’ first book, Up & Going, provides the necessary background for those of you with limited programming experience. By learning the basic building blocks of programming, as well as JavaScript’s core mechanisms, you’ll be prepared…
Author(s): Kyle Simpson
7. Murach’s JavaScript and jQuery (3rd Edition) (2017)
Today, you ll find JavaScript and jQuery used everywhere on the web, from small individual sites to the largest commercial sites like Google, Amazon, and Facebook. That s why every web developer needs to have at least a basic set of JavaScript and jQuery skills. And now, this one book presents the JavaScript and jQuery skills that every web developer needs…whether you re a web designer who s coming from a background in HTML and CSS or a server-side programmer who s coded…
Author(s): Zak Ruvalcaba, Mary Delamater
8. Eloquent JavaScript, 2nd Ed.: A Modern Introduction to Programming (2014)
JavaScript lies at the heart of almost every modern web application, from social apps to the newest browser-based games. Though simple for beginners to pick up and play with, JavaScript is a flexible, complex language that you can use to build full-scale applications. 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…
Author(s): Marijn Haverbeke
9. The Principles of Object-Oriented JavaScript (2014)
If you’ve used a more traditional object-oriented language, such as C++ or Java, JavaScript probably doesn’t seem object-oriented at all. It has no concept of classes, and you don’t even need to define any objects in order to write code. But don’t be fooled—JavaScript is an incredibly powerful and expressive object-oriented language that puts many design decisions right into your hands. In The Principles of Object-Oriented JavaScript, Nicholas C. Zakas thoroughly explores JavaScript’s object-oriented nature, revealing the language’s…
Author(s): Nicholas C. Zakas
10. Learning JavaScript: JavaScript Essentials for Modern Application Development (2016)
This is an exciting time to learn JavaScript. Now that the latest JavaScript specification—ECMAScript 6.0 (ES6)—has been finalized, learning how to develop high-quality applications with this language is easier and more satisfying than ever. This practical book takes programmers (amateurs and pros alike) on a no-nonsense tour of ES6, along with some related tools and techniques. Author Ethan Brown (Web Development with Node and Express) not only guides you through simple and straightforward topics (variables, control flow, arrays)…
Author(s): Ethan Brown
11. Head First JavaScript Programming (2014)
This brain-friendly guide teaches you everything from JavaScript language fundamentals to advanced topics, including objects, functions, and the browser’s document object model. You won’t just be reading—you’ll be playing games, solving puzzles, pondering mysteries, and interacting with JavaScript in ways you never imagined. And you’ll write real code, lots of it, so you can start building your own web applications. We think your time is too valuable to waste struggling with new concepts.
Author(s): Eric T. Freeman, Elisabeth Robson
12. JavaScript Absolute Beginner’s Guide (2016)
Make the most of JavaScript — even if you’ve never programmed anything before. This book is the fastest way to learn JavaScript and use it together with CSS3 and HTML5 to create powerful web and mobile experiences. Learn how to do what you want, the way you want, one incredibly easy step at a time. JavaScript has never been this simple! This is the easiest, most practical beginner’s guide to programming JavaScript with simple, reliable instructions for doing everything you really want to do!
Author(s): Kirupa Chinnathambi
You might also be interested in: Symfony, ABAP, WCF, Concrete5, Ember.js, DynamoDB, Ruby on Rails, WEBRTC, Nodejs, YII Books.
Best Javascript Books You Must Read
We highly recommend you to buy all paper or e-books in a legal way, for example, on Amazon. But sometimes it might be a need to dig deeper beyond the shiny book cover. Before making a purchase, you can visit resources like Genesis and download some Javascript books mentioned below at your own risk. Once again, we do not host any illegal or copyrighted files, but simply give our visitors a choice and hope they will make a wise decision.
Practical Machine Learning in JavaScript: TensorFlow.js for Web Developers
Author(s): Charlie Gerard
ID: 2876983, Publisher: Apress, Year: 2021, Size: 9 Mb, Format: pdf
Learning PHP, MySQL & JavaScript, 6th Edition
Author(s): Robin Nixon
ID: 2904920, Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc., Year: 2021, Size: 3 Mb, Format: epub
JavaScript Simplified: JavaScript Simplified And Turned To Fun
Author(s): Marcus, O.A.
ID: 2908804, Publisher: , Year: 2021, Size: 9 Mb, Format: epub
Please note that this booklist is not final. Some books are really record-breakers according to The New York Times, others are written by unknown authors. On top of that, you can always find additional tutorials and courses on Coursera, Udemy or edX, for example. Are there any other relevant resources you could recommend? Drop a comment if you have any feedback on the list.