JavaScript: A Beginner's Guide, Second Edition

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25 Reviews

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Javascript: A Beginner's Guide is the best book that I have seen for beginners. The book is written like a text book and provides novice programmers with information on basic programmer's terminology, etc. Exercises are provided to help develop programming skills. When I start offering javascript class, this will likely be my choice for a textbook.

As a beginner's book, I give this 10 stars. This is a great book for people completely new to programming. For example, graphics designers without programming experience who want to develop web pages could easily use this book to learn javascript. Experienced programmers, however, may find this book to be too elementary. The author takes several pages to define what a variable is, which may be aggravating to experienced programmers who just want to learn a new language.

I have no programming experience and am teaching myself JavaScript. I tried a couple of other books, which left me feeling frustrated-even if they were supposed to be for beginners. Desperate, I tried this one and am happy to say that I'm writing small scripts and becoming familiar with all the different options.

The lessons are well written and easy to follow. The little progress checks and tests at the end of the chapters help highlight the lessons and, if you get any answers wrong, show you where to go back to reread/practice. Although a beginner's book, it gives hints of what can be done, which keep me motivated to continue learning.

It may be that I "outgrow" this book at some point, but I'm likely to keep it around for a quick reference.

An excellent book -- here's why:

1) The author is an excellent teacher. You will have a solid understanding of the fundamental concepts of Javascript when finished with this book.

2) The code samples are clear and easy to try.

3) Each chapter covers a fundamental aspect of the Javascript language, such as variables, conditional loops, objects, etc.

4) Provides mastery checks at the end of the lesson to ensure you learned the materials, as needed.

It's perfect for the beginner, yet excellent for the more advanced programmer who wants to learn the starting fundamentals of this language. In my opinion, it's a 5 star book. (500+ pages and clearly-illustrated.)

For someone who wants a beginning book in JavaScript, this is the best book I have come across. (I also have Gosselin's "JavaScript, Third Edition"; the O'Reilly "JavaScript The Definitive Guide"; and the Shelly Cashman series on JavaScript).

My college JavaScript class uses another book (the Gosselin book) as the official textbook of the course. I find I understand everything much better if I read Pollock's chapter(s) first, then go to the Gosselin to read more and do the required exercises.

I'm new to programming and at first, I was struggling in the class. After getting Pollock's book, I've now got an A. Thank you, John Pollock, for a great book!

This is definitely a book for JavaScript beginners, which is exactly what I needed. It included plenty of examples and even had mastery questions at the end of each of the chapters. But I found the book extremely helpful, even if slightly rudimentary having had some programming experience in other languages. But I liked the step by step approach and getting to know a few of the major objects and concepts in JavaScript.

This may well be a good book to present Java Script to those that have not done any programming in another language and never plan to. However, if (for example) you have any knowledge of C, it will be a dissapointment. This is not because the book assumes no previous programming experience (it does and clearly states this) but it also doesn't take the opportunity to explain the connection between Java Script and other languages, or to explain any logic in the syntax. One example is the (lack of) explanation of why array indexes start with 0 instead of 1. In summary I feel the author has dummed down the material more than is necessary and has lost opportunities to make the language fit into a rational framework.

Web design has gone through major changes over the years and with the addition of JavaScript web pages have so much more excitement to them. After reading this book and working with examples I was able to create basic JavaScript code and add things to the web pages.

The book is an excellent learning tool and easy to follow along with. The title is a Beginner's guide and there could not be a more exact description. The book has the step by step examples and each project has review questions.

The book lacks a cd with any tools or examples, although you can get free files from the internet. In updated version this might be something to add. The book takes you from getting the script in web pages to frames and forms.

If you new to Javascripting or have a need to brush up on some things, than you may want to get a hold of this book. Overall this is by far the best beginner text I have had a chance to work with.

What I like about this book compared to others, is that it gives clear concise descriptions. The chapters (or modules) are well thought out and the examples complement what the subject matter is addressing. I've bought other books on JavaScript, and I must say that (as a beginner) this is a treasure. It is exactly what I was looking for and by just reading the first few chapters has given me a great insight into this coding language. To me there is no better book on the market. You won't go wrong to get this book if you want to get a solid foundation in JavaScript. I highly recommend this book.

I read and study a lot of different programming languages. After reading the review from others who also bought this book I was convinced this book was for me. I am now halfway done reading and interacting with the book. The author is awesome. He takes you step-by-step in learning JavaScript. After each chapter he has hands-on assignements that build from one chapter to the next.

This is a very good book, especially for the money. It is what it claims to be, "A Beginner's Guide." Don't look here for advanced javascript (only the last chapter deals with that). I bought this book with little understanding of Javascript. After reading this book, I have the foundational skills I need write Javascript. Highly recommended!

I have really enjoyed the "Beginner Guide" series that McGraw-Hill has recently begun producing. They serve as a great introduction to various topics, and their newest JavaScript book is no exception. If I were to learn JavaScript all over again, this is the book I would want to have helping me along the way.

This book starts out at the very beginning-it assumes you don't know anything about JavaScript, variables, or functions and goes through what each of those are. After a good introduction into basic programming via JavaScript, there is a thorough discussion on each of the arithmetic and comparison operators in JavaScript. The rest of the book gets into the nitty-gritty of writing web pages with JavaScript by going over conditional statements, event handlers, and the DOM.

Through this discussion, you learn how to use JavaScript with HTML forms, frames, arrays, how to handle various types of data (e.g. string vs. date time), and even learn how to use JavaScript for image rollovers-the most basic of DHTML. Really this book covers the basics. If you go through this book and really understand it, you'll understand the critical skills you'll need to effectively use JavaScript. I would highly recommend this book to someone who doesn't know anything about JavaScript and needs a place to begin.

After all the great reviews I thought this book was going to be outstanding, so maybe that's why I was kind of let down. To be honest, I have not finished the book yet. At chapter 8 (which is where I think maybe he's starting to get into the meat of things) I was just so bored with the examples my enthusiasm for learning Javascript was starting to diminish. I want a little more variety than learning how to make EVERYTHING create a popup window. After reading several other more engaging programming books in the dummies and headfirst series, I think maybe I should've gone to them for my Javascript needs as well.

If you are a programmer and you know nothing about JavaScript, this is a good place to start. Mr. Pollock's style is easy to read and follow. His examples, while somewhat humorous, are illustrative and educational. His pace seems a little slow at first, but overall he presents a very cohesive study of the fundamental JavaScript concepts. I would recommend this book to anyone who needs to add a little JavaScript to his resume.

Yes, this is the one book to purchase if you wish to learn JavaScript. It's written in easy to understand prose with excellent examples throughout. At least some understanding of coding Html really is a prerequisite, but you'd have to expect that. Mr. Pollock has authored an excellent text book more than worth the purchase price. Go for it, I'm glad I did.

I bought this book because even though I have knowledge about programming, I had no concept about JavaScript and needed to learn it. It gave me and introduction to JavaScript, but it also gave me a full recap about functions, constructors, etc. what they are, what they do, which I did not need. So if you are a programmer, I do NOT recommend this book. Instead buy "Simply JavaScript". If you are a newbie and don't know much about programming in general, I definitely recommend this book.

I went from not knowing anything about JavaScript when I started this book, to feeling that I now have enough foundation to go make something happen with it. Now, granted, I do have a background in C++, but I ripped through this book pretty quickly. People with less of a background might take a little more time. It's slightly out of date, but that's nothing that should hold you back from getting it if you're looking for a solid primer. After this book you'll feel good enough to go and look only to figure out the fancy new stuff.

Really a good book for the web novice. Has a smooth and gradual buildup of complexity without ever really being complex.

I just read a couple pages. I think the content is easy to understand. Nice choice for beginners.

I've now mastered most all forms and programs of Static web development and, having done so, was ready to expand into dynamic dev, and thought javascript would be the most logical place to start. There are so many JS books titled "for beginners" on the market and most all of them are slush. Believe me, I know because I've been through many of them. I've thrown many of those books (web wizards, dummies, teach yourself in 24hrs, simply JS, to name a few) across the room, screaming "WTF IS THIS #*&!#% VAR THING BEHIND THE FUNCTION NAME IN PARENTHESIS, WHERE DID IT COME FROM AND WTH DOES IT DO!!!???" And it was still never explained to me. I think the reason for this is that most of these books are written by programer's who have inherent programming knowledge within, but don't bother to rip that knowledge apart and explain it to a non-programmer coming in. Let me tell you, this book does exactly that- rips it apart for non-programmers coming in. When I finished this book, for the first time ever, I felt I could see the land that I could not see before, and that I had acquired new knowledge and powers.

If you read thoroughly, you'll discover that Pollock is teaching JS with a Bachelor's degree in.... English! I thought this was great, because I'm being taught a complex language by a non-hardcore programmer, who doesn't have a PhD in advanced programing theory and, as a result, won't confuse the hell out of you, assuming that you already know everything he does. But don't be fooled by this, Pollock really does know JS cold, and I only remember one code error in this book. And he does a great job of breaking it down to simple parts that are then assembled one atop the other in useful examples.

On the downside, one thing I really felt missing from this book was some depth on the THEORY of the examples you assemble in this book. Most all examples just go: "This is how we'd build a clock" and the example is shown to you, which is okay because Pollock does an immense job explaining how things work before the examples, but there's no stepping back and explaining WHY the example is built this way. In other words, if you didn't have the example to look at, you wouldn't even be certain where to start: "w/a var? w/a function? w/a new object?"

Also on the downside - quite arguably one of the worst book covers and print layouts I've ever seen in my life, but this really isn't too important. In fact I still give this book 5 stars because its the first one that got me through the door and into the room, and now I'm ready to take on the more intermediate to advanced JS books written by the dudes who already think I know what the hell they're talking about. Well, now I do... thanks to John Pollock!

I have purchased 3 books on Javascript and this one, is the only one, I can understand. If you have no experience with javascript, this is the book to buy. Easy to understand, filled with examples that you can try out on your own computer, it is the only book I have seen that puts it in layman terms.

Have you tried to learn off the internet and not had a clue what they were talking about, or gone to a forum and got the impression that everyone thought you were ignorant. This is the book for you! Explains everything you need to know, in a simple easy understandable way. Don't hesitate, buy it!

As the name states ... it's for beginners -- and if you're an absolute beginner, it's five starts (I bought this for my 7th grader.)

The first third is painfully basic -- assumes virtually no knowledge of web pages -- anyone with even a basic knowledge of Javascript will be put to sleep.

The second third picks up the pace a bit -- someone with preexisting basic Javascript knowledge can pick up some new information fairly quickly.

The final third gets a little meaty -- for example how to change images in response to mouseovers, etc.

Overall, the explanations are very clear -- this book was written thoughtfully -- so many books these days seem to be haphazardly written in the rush to market.

So, if you have little or no starting knowledge, this book is the right place to start. If you already know JS fairly well ... don't bother with this book -- it doesn't even have an appendix with a comprehensive reference list of all objects and properties -- though lists are scattered through the book as objects are covered.

This book is great for beginning javascript programmers who have a clue how to program. It is definitely not great for someone to learn the skill of computer programming. Additionally the excersices are not very challenging(I've only gotten up to the chapter on arrays, but the other chapter excersices leave little room for creativity).

The good thing about this book is that it is a great way to learn the syntax of javascript. It does not have a lot of information and it has about three excersices per chapter(of what I have read so far. Overall it is worth the price though.

This book was required reading material for a course I'm taking. That being said, the book is good for anyone who's a novice. The chapters are easy to read and provide a decent review section at their conclusion so you can quiz yourself if you like. If you already know the basics of JavaScript -- look elsewhere.

Concise descriptions of what happens inside the scripts. The author adresses JS matters without assuming previous knowledge on this subject, but he clearly makes you progress by invoking some math background (i.e. to explain functions ) and also involving the reader in logical deductions to make you think. Some hints of humour and lightweight prose are present along the book, without leaning too much towards the "for dummies" series. As an absolute beginner, it's more than enough.

If you are new to Javascript, and know just a little HTML, than this book is perfect. I knew some HTML and wanted to make my page more interactive and this book goes through step by step and gives plenty of examples to guide you in the right direction. Sometimes it gets a little repetitve, but thats a good thing to ingrain the fundamentals of Javascript. A definate help to get me into the Javascript language in the fastest time.