If you are interested in learning computer programming, whether you want to learn PHP, JavaScript or any of the many coding languages, there are abundant resources to choose from. There are interactive teaching websites and online classes. There are scores of amateur and professional coding instructional videos. Yet some people still prefer to read their lessons in a book. Many different texts are available, including PHP books and Javascript books. This article will look at five of the best books to learn JavaScript programming.
JavaScript and JQuery: Interactive Front-End Web Development
This book, by Jon Duckett, is a companion to his book "HTML and CSS: Design and Build Websites". Both volumes are commonly used in college-level introductory programming courses. "JavaScript and JQuery" is intended to be used by students with little or no computer programming background, teaching the very basics of the language and moving students from a beginning to an intermediate level. This text is also linked to online examples that allow programmers to test their coding skills.
JavaScript: The Good Parts
Written by Douglas Crockford, this book is appreciated by programmers who have at least a basic knowledge of JavaScript. Instead of teaching JavaScript as an independent language, this book examines the best parts of JavaScript as well as its weaknesses. People who read this book will walk away with an understanding of what JavaScript does very well, and the tasks for which a different programming language might be more suitable.
Head First JavaScript Programming: A Brain-Friendly Guide
Elisabeth Robson and Eric Freeman designed this text to teach JavaScript programming to beginning students using the latest in cognitive brain theory. This means that they teach the concepts in multiple ways, engaging several learning styles. Many beginning programmers enjoy the interactive style. Others, who have been struggling with more advanced JavaScript programming concepts, feel that this text can go a long way in developing a more concrete understanding. It is also coupled with online resources as one of the learning tools.
Understanding ECMAScript 6: The Definitive Guide for JavaScript Developers
Written by Nicholas Zakas, "Understanding ECMAScript 6" is a book written for people who are well-versed in computer programming. It is especially written for programmers and developers who are coming back to JavaScript after not using it for some time. The JavaScript language, officially known as ECMAScript, has gone through several versions. Some of the most comprehensive changes happened in 2015 with the release of ECMAScript 6. This guide focuses specifically on those changes, such as arrow functions and syntax, not the JavaScript language as a whole.
JavaScript Patterns: Build Better Applications with Coding and Design Patterns
Stoyan Stefanov’s book is another text geared toward the intermediate to advanced programmer. It is a text that takes programmers beyond the question of what JavaScript is able to do and looks at the best programming practices for JavaScript. The book focuses on programming patterns that lead to clean and productive code. When programming in this language, there are several common pitfalls around global variables and inheritance that need to be avoided. "JavaScript Patterns" can help programmers avoid common mistakes and produce sensible JavaScript code.
