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In search of JavaScript book(s) for a kinda novice ...

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barney:
Folk,

Seeking recommendations for one or more books on JavaScript.  Searches here have turned up a plethora of items, but none that I've perused seem to fit requirements.

A friend of mine, reasonably conversant with HTML/PHP/MySQL has decided she just has to learn JS.  She's asked me for book recommendations, but I simply don't have any.  She's not a hardcore web developer, but does well with most of what she attempts to do.

Looking, prolly, for two (2) types of books:  one would be a reasonable tutorial/instruction manual, the other would be a cookbook kind of manual.  I simply do not know enough about JS to make recommendations.  (Maybe I should get copies of whatever might be recommended?)

She's competent with HTML, perhaps a bit less so with PHP (but progressing rapidly).  Probably a mid-level (?) book on JavaScript - methodology, syntax, and the like - would be appropriate.  She also wants something similar to PHP:  Developer's Cookbook , of which she is very fond (as was meself, several years agone).

Any suggestions?

Addendum:  I've looked at O'Reilly, but simply cannot judge from the titles/descriptions.

Deozaan:
I recommend the 5-part video series from Douglas Crockford. (Scroll down a little.)

If she likes the video, she may like his book: JavaScript: The Good Parts (note the link gives a "referral" bonus to the author (link taken from his site)) wherein Crockford teaches only the good parts of JavaScript and ignores the bad/dangerous parts.

Though I have to admit, even after watching the videos and reading the part about functions in the book, I'm still trying to wrap my brain around JavaScript's first class functions and closure.

How can an inner function inside its outer function still know the values of variables that should be erased from memory because the outer function has already returned?

:stars: :stars: :stars: :stars: :stars: :stars: :stars:

mouser:
amazon.com is a great source of reviews and ratings on books.

MilesAhead:
If the person has broadband you can find the function definitions online and also help forums where you can as "how can I do this in JS?" ...  you might suggest messing around a bit before buying a book.  What looks really good because it starts bare bones might seem nearly useless once you've gotten the basic idea.

Kind of like those super basic computer books that show you how to open the menu in the program and what to click on, with all screen shots, but never get into any concepts.  Fine for 10 minutes .. better to rent rather than buy.

barney:
Personal distaste for videos aside, that'll be forwarded to her - if memory serves, she's partial to multimedia training, although I cannot see the why of it.

I'm kinda in the same boat.  JS requires more functions to function than my brain can seem to hold  ;D.

Mentioned O'Reilly - that includes Fatbrain (didn't realize they were now Barnes & Noble), B&N, Amazon.  Problem with the reviews:  no way to assess validity, veracity, or reviewer's knowledge level.  In light of that, I currently have two (2) Linux networking volumes and one (1) Linux cookbook on my desktop, purchased upon the strength of [Amazon] reviews.  One of the networking books is simplistic, the other is over my head - no formal IT training - and the cookbook ... isn't.  However, each of the three (3) had glowing reviews.  (They're going to a local computer club in the morning - tonight if the guy I called shows up.)

That's why I queried here:  if a particular tome is esoteric, it will be so noted; if it is too simplistic, same thing; mostly, however, I'll be getting reviews and suggestions from known entities whose opinions can be respected, folk I trust not to lead me astray in an area where my own knowledge is dismal.

After all, that's a significant part of DC :Thmbsup:.

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