Summary: The best introduction to JavaScript that I’ve seen so far.
The Web Guru Guide to JavaScript is an introduction to programming using JavaScript. The target audience is undergraduate students without much programming experience.
JavaScript is the most misunderstood programming language in the world. The authors do a good job of clarifying the advantages of using JavaScript, and do mention the unfortunate history leading to its negative reputation.
The book is a comprehensive introduction to the language, covering everything from the very basics up to events, manipulating forms, data structures, control structures, windows and prompts, and even cookies. All of the material is presented in a clear voice, with plenty of screenshots and lots of code samples.
I do find the order of the topics unusual. I generally try to present topics in an order that emphasizes both ease and usefulness. The authors of the Web Guru Guide to JavaScript took a more traditional approach, with each topic covered completely before introducing something new. For example, events are not discussed until Chapter 10 (half way through the book). That said, if you make it through the entire book, you’ll learn pretty much everything you need to get started with JavaScript.
While it is clear that the authors are coders and not designers, it is unfortunate that all of the sites developed in the book are so plain and simple. It does make the function of the code more obvious, but will probably discourage students who put a greater emphasis on design. It’s just as easy to validate an ugly form as a lovely one!
Conclusion: This is the best intro to JavaScript out there. But I hope that one day there will be something just a bit more fun.