Reader reviews

A few useful pages, but mostly material I had seen better elsewhere.

I bought this on a whim after seeing it mentioned in a forum thread, and I am glad I did. I appreciated the honesty about what the book does not cover — it saved me from expecting things that were not there. It is denser than the page count suggests, and I found myself slowing down around the middle. Two stars. The subject deserves a better treatment than this.

A genuinely enjoyable read that also taught me a great deal.

I had been on the fence about this one for a while, and I should have bought it sooner. The explanations are careful without being condescending, which is a difficult balance to strike. Some of the diagrams are dense and I had to reread a few sections, though that may just be me. This is the book I wish had existed when I started working with graphics & multimedia.

I have read a lot of books on this subject and this is the clearest.

A colleague recommended this and I can see why. It does something that few technical books manage: it respects the reader's time. The exercises at the end of each chapter are worth doing — they caught a few misconceptions I did not know I had. The exercises at the end of each chapter are worth doing — they caught a few misconceptions I did not know I had. One of those books that pays for itself within the first few chapters. Highly recommended.

A worthwhile addition to my shelf, with realistic expectations.

I was looking for something that would bridge the gap between tutorials and proper reference material, and this does that well. I found myself making notes in the margins, which is always a good sign. A few of the examples could be more realistic, but the underlying points come across clearly. A couple of chapters felt like they could have been merged, but that is a minor complaint. Worth picking up if you already have the basics. Set realistic expectations and you will get a lot out of it.

Mixed feelings. The good parts are genuinely good; the rest is forgettable.

This is the third book I have read on javascript this year, and it is comfortably the best of them. Some terminology is introduced without much ceremony; I had to look a few things up along the way. I particularly liked the way the author builds up from simple cases before introducing the harder material. The author is unusually honest about where the simplifications break down, which I appreciated. Three stars feels about right. It will stay on my shelf, but it will not be the first one I reach for.

The clearest explanation of physics simulation I have come across.

A colleague recommended this and I can see why. It does something that few technical books manage: it respects the reader's time. Some of the material is available elsewhere, but rarely presented this clearly. The exercises at the end of each chapter are worth doing — they caught a few misconceptions I did not know I had. Worth the money and the reading time, without hesitation.