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General Discussion

Jeff Mathis
Jeff Mathis
3,935 Points
Posted by Jeff Mathis
Jeff Mathis
3,935 Points

Java Script Books

does anybody know of any good books to read for somebody who is just starting to learn java script and programming all together. Have a good foundation in HTML as long as CSS. I am starting to learn programming now and was wondering if anybody knew of some good material to give me a good head start into the programming languages! Thanks for the help.

4 Answers

Dustin Matlock
Dustin Matlock
33,856 Points
Dustin Matlock
Dustin Matlock
33,856 Points

You might try:

Jeff Mathis
Jeff Mathis
3,935 Points
Jeff Mathis
Jeff Mathis
3,935 Points

have you read either one of those? recommend which ones better? the one with the cute girl on it looks more appealing

James Barnett
James Barnett
39,199 Points
James Barnett
James Barnett
39,199 Points

+1 for "A Smarter Way to Learn JavaScript"

Jeff Mathis
Jeff Mathis
3,935 Points
Jeff Mathis
Jeff Mathis
3,935 Points

Hey dustin.... im not sure if you still have a copy of a smart way to learn.... but im having trouble with chapter six with those new math expressins they are teaching.... would be stoked if you could help out with that.

Dustin Matlock
Dustin Matlock
33,856 Points

Are you taking the quiz or what's going on?

You might want to check out Expressions and operators also.

Jeff Mathis
Jeff Mathis
3,935 Points
Jeff Mathis
Jeff Mathis
3,935 Points

No i havent got to the quiz yet becuase it just doesnt make any sense to me. the part that does not add up to me is how newNum gets the orignal value of num, 1.(from the first example they use) I understand how the second statement boosts its value to two. But how does it go back to the orignial value? (if that makes any sense at all to you) haha

Dustin Matlock
Dustin Matlock
33,856 Points

It just takes practice and repetition before it's grasped. It gets easier later on but I'd recommend some more sources as well.

Jeff Mathis
Jeff Mathis
3,935 Points
Jeff Mathis
Jeff Mathis
3,935 Points

okay thanks man..... Ill just stick to it. Just trying to take it slow and soak it all in. Thanks for all the help. I really appreciate it.

Dustin Matlock
Dustin Matlock
33,856 Points
Dustin Matlock
Dustin Matlock
33,856 Points

Well, I'm usually pretty good at reading reviews and researching the latest and greatest. (At least I like to think so!) But yeah, I'd probably go with the first choice. There's even a Kindle edition available.

James Barnett
James Barnett
39,199 Points
James Barnett
James Barnett
39,199 Points

There are a lot of JavaScript books that are unsuitable for the beginner. More problematic is there are a lot of people who will tell you otherwise that some really think book is the foundation that a beginner needs.

Also nearly all programming books these days are missing proper exercises some have a "project" you do to "help" with your understanding like the Head First series. That's a huge mistake.

The only other book that comes to mind that's good for a beginner to learning programming is Chris Pine's Learn to Progam.

tl;dr Nice find Dustin Matlock :+1:

Dino Paškvan
PLUS
Dino Paškvan
Courses Plus Student 44,108 Points
Dino Paškvan
Dino Paškvan
Courses Plus Student 44,108 Points

I've always been rather partial to Marijn Haverbeke's Eloquent JavaScript.

James Barnett
James Barnett
39,199 Points
James Barnett
James Barnett
39,199 Points

Except that's more a book written for programmers.

Rachael Nabors would beg to differ:

"I’m going to speak front-end developer blasphemy and save you a lot of time: Don’t bother reading Javascript: the Good Parts or Eloquent JavaScript. I know these are the JavaScript books everyone will point you to, but they were written by and for programmers, not designers or people just getting their feet wet with programming."

from: http://rachelnabors.com/2013/01/javascript-study-for-designers/

Dino Paškvan
Dino Paškvan
Courses Plus Student 44,108 Points

JavaScript: The Good Parts is an intermediate-level book and it really irks me how often it's recommended to beginners.

Eloquent JavaScript on the other hand is a book that I've successfully used to teach programming and JavaScript basics to eighth-graders. Granted, having a live teacher in front of you who can clarify parts of the book makes it easier, but still, it worked out really well. I left that teaching position a year ago, but as far as I know, they still use that book.

Besides, if you want to excel at any kind of programming, sooner or later you'll have to wrap your head around complex abstract concepts. Learning can and should be fun. But that doesn't mean it should be easy.