3 ms·

Eloquent JavaScript is easily the text I most reference when asked for recommendations on where to go to learn/bone up on JS. It's a real achievement, in one gu

Eloquent JavaScript is easily the text I most reference when asked for recommendations on where to go to learn/bone up on JS. It's a real achievement, in one guy's opinion.

irrational 9y ago
Have you read You Don't Know JavaScript? I'm just wondering how you feel the two compare.
- kaishiro 9y ago
  I have, and they're also a great resource. I tool up a lot of junior devs, and I usually start them off on Eloquent if only because the format really lends itself to structured lessons. I like YDKJS post-Eloquent, for when they really want to dig into something specific (closures, async, etc). I think the two collective works marry pretty nicely.
jholman 9y ago
I think Eloquent JS is a fan fruckin tastic book, overall. BUT, I have one quibble (about the first edition; I haven't looked at the second). Its preface and first few chapters sort of present itself as a book intended to teach the absolute basics of programming to someone who has never done any programming at all before. A first book. And I think you'll find that if you give it as a sole resource to someone in that position, it just moves too quickly through the fundamentals. It's definitely a second book or a third book, or a book for reading after someone made it through a few of those ultra-beginner courses on Codecademy or Khan Academy or wherever.
- kaishiro 9y ago
  I actually completely agree. I usually work with people who have already had some exposure to basic programming concepts and I think it's wonderful for them. But for someone looking to get started there are presumably better resources.
  - old_chap 9y ago
    Agreed. Once you hit that recursion/functions in functions chapter...lawd. And I'm coming from python (almost intermediate level)
- mercer 9y ago
  I can confirm this as well. I actually have Eloquent Javascript queued up because the first time I read it, I found it too challenging. And even then I wasn't a complete beginner. That said: I love this book!

Eloquent JavaScript is easily the text I most reference when asked for recommendations on where to go to learn/bone up on JS. It's a real achievement, in one guy's opinion.

irrational 9y ago

Have you read You Don't Know JavaScript? I'm just wondering how you feel the two compare.

kaishiro 9y ago
I have, and they're also a great resource. I tool up a lot of junior devs, and I usually start them off on Eloquent if only because the format really lends itself to structured lessons. I like YDKJS post-Eloquent, for when they really want to dig into something specific (closures, async, etc). I think the two collective works marry pretty nicely.

jholman 9y ago

I think Eloquent JS is a fan fruckin tastic book, overall. BUT, I have one quibble (about the first edition; I haven't looked at the second). Its preface and first few chapters sort of present itself as a book intended to teach the absolute basics of programming to someone who has never done any programming at all before. A first book. And I think you'll find that if you give it as a sole resource to someone in that position, it just moves too quickly through the fundamentals. It's definitely a second book or a third book, or a book for reading after someone made it through a few of those ultra-beginner courses on Codecademy or Khan Academy or wherever.

kaishiro 9y ago
I actually completely agree. I usually work with people who have already had some exposure to basic programming concepts and I think it's wonderful for them. But for someone looking to get started there are presumably better resources.
- old_chap 9y ago
  Agreed. Once you hit that recursion/functions in functions chapter...lawd. And I'm coming from python (almost intermediate level)
mercer 9y ago
I can confirm this as well. I actually have Eloquent Javascript queued up because the first time I read it, I found it too challenging. And even then I wasn't a complete beginner. That said: I love this book!