Everything you need to learn JavaScript from Scratch!

Packed with full-color examples, Simply JavaScript is a step-by-step introduction to programming in JavaScript the right way. Learn how easy it is to use JavaScript to solve real-world problems, build smarter forms, track user events (such as mouse clicks and key strokes), and design eye-catching animations. Then move into more powerful techniques using the DOM and Ajax.

• Learn JavaScript's built-in functions, methods, and properties.

• Easily integrate JavaScript in your web site.

• Use JavaScript to validate form entries and interact with your users.

• Understand how to respond to user events.

• Create animations that bring your web site to life.

• Start programming using the DOM and Ajax.

Unlike other JavaScript books, modern best practices such as progressive enhancement, accessibility and unobtrusive scripting are used from the very beginning. All the code in the book is also cross-browser compatible and downloadable for free, so you can get started instantly!

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 19 Ratings

Material not presented well - 2009-03-12
Reviewer Rating:
I saw this book in Borders and thought this would be a good resource for teaching myself Javascript. I have some other books which are not so good either so I decided this book would be good (I will be returning this book soon).

While the book starts off simply enough, the book jumps into more complicated material without a smooth transition. The examples go from simple to very complicated in a very short time and the explanations of how they were work are horrible.

I noticed one reviewer has stated that there is some misinformation and I am not surprised. I have not typed in the examples but I believe they are not complete either.

So... I am not sure why this book has gotten such good reviews.

Well written but buggy - 2009-03-24
Reviewer Rating:
Simply JavaScript is a well-written book. You can follow what the author is trying to tell you fairly well. You don't get that in all coding books.

However there are also some errors in the book. You can read some in the comments but one example is page 69. The snippet fails to tell you that you need to use window.onLoad = function name and put the snippet in that function. You can tell when a book has been through the new user experience test - I believe this one may not have been.

The website associated with this book has minimal support.

Advanced topics are explained well - 2008-11-21
Reviewer Rating:
But lack of basics. For example,
1. inheritance
2. variable scope
This book does explain some topics very well, like DOM, Event, even animation.
This book title should be changed.

Great book, period - 2009-08-15
Reviewer Rating:
The last time that I visited library, I wanted to pick up something that would explain JS to me and something would allow me to create my own scripts.

Well, this book is exactly what I was looking for - it explains all the intricacies of JavaScript, but also it makes it...*gasp*...fun to study what otherwise seems to be somewhat dry subject.

Granted, I might not be a newbie when it comes to scripting (I know CSS/HTML fairly well), but JS is an entirely different thing altogether - not a full-on programming language, but yet its a bit harder to understand it than, say CSS or stuff related to basic coding.

So kudos to authors for being so thorough in their approach and I can't wait to get to the end of the book and see what I will be able to do later on.

The title says it all...it's amazing - 2009-07-24
Reviewer Rating:
This book was awesome. I read it off and on for the last 2 years. I got it when it came out because my school had a javascript course, but I switched schools and just read it on my own. I had some difficulties at first because javascript is a proto-type language, not a OOP language. That really bugged me for a while. I honestly can say that I hate the authors' programming style, it's horrible, I hate it. But if you can get past that, haha, it's good. This book really is "simply javascript". They don't go over anything from a computer scientist's point of view. I think it's good to get started on javascript, but I would recommend "Professional JavaScript for Web Developers" I read through practically all of that book and the author discusses everything from a computer scientist point of view like going over pointers and memory mangement...if you are coming from C/C++ or Java you defiantly need to read that book because the authors here don't talk about that at all. It's a shame that none of the sitepoint books have OOP in javascript.