Eloquent Javascript
by Marijn Haverbeke · first published 2009
77% recommend21% neutral2% critical
Why HN recommends it
Free online JavaScript introduction with examples and exercises you can run in the browser. Suits beginners and experienced programmers new to JS, and its chapter on functional ideas is also singled out.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"Eloquent JavaScript is a book providing an introduction to the JavaScript programming language and programming in general."
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2014–2025You Don't Know JS
Kyle Simpson
Recommended by 88 · mentioned by 10888 recommend · 108 mention88 recommend · 10888 recommend
2009–2026Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja
John Resig, Bear Bibeault, Josip Maras
Recommended by 40 · mentioned by 6140 recommend · 61 mention40 recommend · 6140 recommend
2008–2026JavaScript
Douglas Crockford, Ke luo ke fu de, Yan xue kun
Recommended by 72 · mentioned by 9672 recommend · 96 mention72 recommend · 9672 recommend
2011–2017Javascript Enlightenment
Cody Lindley
Recommended by 7 · mentioned by 97 recommend · 9 mention7 recommend · 97 recommend
2013–2022Effective JavaScript
David Herman
Recommended by 20 · mentioned by 2620 recommend · 26 mention20 recommend · 2620 recommend
2010–2014Test-driven JavaScript development
Christian Johansen
Recommended by 4 · mentioned by 84 recommend · 8 mention4 recommend · 84 recommend
2008–2024Professional JavaScript for Web developers
Nicholas C. Zakas
Recommended by 19 · mentioned by 2619 recommend · 26 mention19 recommend · 2619 recommend
2010–2017Object-Oriented JavaScript
Ved Antani, Stoyan Stefanov
Recommended by 9 · mentioned by 119 recommend · 11 mention9 recommend · 119 recommend
…I use JS daily. JS is part of the workflow for nearly everyone I know who works with code. For me, ES6 is fantastic to use. Some of the better books on JS [I'm thinking specifically of Haverbeke's "Eloquent Javascript"] are general computing classics in their own right. I used to be a snob about JS, due to the fact that in the 90s / early 2000s, it had major shortcomings and produced a lot of slow, crashy web pages.…
on “Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs – JavaScript Adaptation” ↗…notes on common pitfalls. All new webdevs should start here. * http://reference.sitepoint.com/ Things that you must learn about CSS * box model * floats * positioning * margin collapsing Eloquent Javascript An easier to read book on JS. * http://eloquentjavascript.net/contents.html MDN Their resource on Javascript is a must read basic reference for all new JS developers. * https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/JavaScript _Webdev…
on “An Ode To W3Schools” ↗…therefore some version of Javascript. Therefore, I would pick Web tech as the entry point: Learning Web Design: A Beginner's Guide to HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Web Graphics, Javascript the Definitive Guide, Eloquent Javascript, and Javascript the Good Parts. Failing that, he will probably have to bootstrap from Windows batch files and x86 machine code into a programming environment. I will ignore that possibility, since AFAIK…
on “Ask HN: Advice for a prisoner learning to program” ↗…It's just that not all technical books live up to the high bar he's set for them. Most technical books are JATBs ("Just Another Technical Book"), but every once in a while we get a Learn You a Haskell or Eloquent JavaScript. It's the same with every kind of book: a few gems hidden in a mound of trash. (Also re: rsaarelm's comment, the two books I mention above were available for free online long before anyone gave a thought…
on “Why read and write tech books?” ↗…contemporary introduction) 2) CSS in Depth 3) CSS The Definite Guide - 5th Ed - Reference Specific books for JavaScript. 1) Javascript - The Comprehensive Guide (decent contemporary introduction) 2) Eloquent JavaScript - 3rd Ed 3) Javascipt - The Definite Guide - 7th Ed
on “Ask HN: Best books to learn web development?” ↗…myself. * JSON: Think in JSON all day - now that's nice. Serializing things to Lists, Maps, Tuples and what have you gets old. And also read books: * David Herman: Effective Javascript * Marijn Haverbeke: Eloquent Javascript * Daniel Parker: Javascript with Promises * Douglas Crockford: Javascript, The Good Parts (well actually I found this one hard to reason about :) )...
on “JavaScript as default language and software stack” ↗…and debug. React just so happens to force a functional approach to webdev, and it's very trendy at the moment, so it might be worth your investing time to study it. Otherwise, Marijn Haverbeke's book 'Eloquent JavaScript' (eloquentjavascript.net) is a good thing to start off with. It doesn't cover jQuery, and I think that's why I always recommend it to anyone wishing to develop for the front-end: the last thing you should…
on “Show HN: A travel tool to discover destinations based on your budget” ↗…to program. We opened up Terminal on her Mac laptop, typed "python", and used Mark Pilgrim's Dive Into Python as a guide. Done. With a PC you at least have access to JavaScript (and Marijn Haverbeke's Eloquent JavaScript tutorial) which is more than suitable for a first language.
on “The Little Coder's Predicament” ↗…more programmatic maturity, I wouldn't have gotten nearly as far with Haskell as I have without GHCi. So... I wonder what it would be like to teach a class using Javascript? Marijn Haverbeke's book, Eloquent Javascript, is pretty awesome, and I bet you could teach a pretty sweet class using it in conjunction with something like Node (for its REPL, in addition to all its other webby goodness). Hmm...
on “Why teach with Ruby?” ↗…positions if I knew then what I know today. My recommendation, especially if you work with any product where the interface and user experience matters, is to learn Javascript. Specifically, I would suggest Eloquent Javascript by M. Haverbeke.
on “What books should non-technical founder must read to manage a software company?” ↗If you're looking for free books, I'm a big fan of Chris Pine's Learn to Program and Eloquent Javascript. Both have online versions and EJ's online version is far better than a paper book, due to its console. As far as sites teaching coding, I'm a fan of http://www.codeschool.com/ Most of its content…
on “Codecademy closes $10M round” ↗…150pp+ books that go into depth on certain topics. Despite their utility, I can't help but wonder why there is nothing that you could call state of the art in programming eBooks. The best I've seen is Eloquent Javascript by Marijn Haverbeke, which includes a built in console that allows REPL-like control of the code samples in the book. It would be awesome if you had features like: (1) Syntax highlighting. Bonus points…
on “Want HN: Open eBook reader & format designed for programming books” ↗…Books with code in a github repo are worth more to me. The most valuable are those that go as far as to create an immersive environment for learning and experimenting with the concepts. Marijn Haverbeke's Eloquent Javascript book is one of the few that has achieved this with the console/repl that accompanies the book and is integrated with the example code in the text.
on “The Heroku Hacker's Guide” ↗'Up and Running with Node.js' is a much better book: http://ofps.oreilly.com/titles/9781449398583/index.html And seriously, before jumping into node one needs to know some javascript. Haverbeke's 'Eloquent Javascript' and Resig's 'Secrets of the JS Ninja' will provide a starting point. They're one of these rare books you thought 'boy, I wished it was longer...'. 'Up and Running with Node.js''s code aren't thoroughly…
on “The Node Beginner Book” ↗I think that anybody who works with JS should support this project and its author (Marijn Haverbeke of the Eloquent JavaScript fame.) P.S. Works fine on Chromium Version 24.0.1312.56 Ubuntu 12.04 x64
on “Tern – Intelligent JavaScript editing” ↗