Rating: 
Summary: Good for copying code, not for learning JavaScript
Review: This book is certainly less daunting than most JavaScript books available today--which was the initial reason I bought it (plus, it was about 1/2 the price of other books I was looking at)--and for good reason: while it is very clear, easy to read and understand, the book is more or less designed to give you code that you can paste onto a web page (along with a basic understanding of how the code works). This book will NOT provide with the ability to create your own scripts, nor (quite possibly) the ability to understand the language fully.I have been able to use a number of the scripts presented within the book, some of which I was able to modify and expand upon (with the help of other sources). In this sense, the book has been very helpful, useful and worth my while. I do, however, often find myself having to turn to other online sources to answer "real" questions regarding JavaScript--I would recommend, that if you are looking for a surface understanding of JavaScript (and the ability to get a couple of cool scripts up an running pronto) this is the book for you; if you want to be able to create your OWN scripts and understand the language, buy a different one.
Rating:
Summary: A "quick-find" book for useful code
Review: This is a great book for finding common JavaScript solutions for your websites quickly. It is packed with code snippets for some of the most common uses of JavaScript - like validating forms, manipulating windows, navigating frames, and making roll-over buttons. A handy index and liberal use of screen shots make this a "quick-find" book for JavaScript. Most of this stuff is available for free on web sites like DocJavaScript.com and HTMLGoodies.com. However, this book puts the most useful scripts together in one place. This isn't a stand-alone book for learning JavaScript. The lack of technical detail in this book is made up for by the number of useful scripts it provides, and by it's low price. It's a great primer, and complements more advanced books like Goodman's "JavaScript Bible" or Flanagan's "JavaScript the Definitive Guide".
Rating:
Summary: For Copy-cats
Review: Ok, not a good book for programmers as it has been said already. And, this is absolutely true. Then again, I am not a programmer. This book did NOT help me get a grasp on Javascript fundamentals--the info included in the first chapter about basic Javascript programming principles was too brief, too simplistic--but I did not want massive programming training at this point. Hard to decipher techie-speak is not for me, and if it is not for you--then you probably could get some use out of this book. Can I build scripts by myself? Gosh, no--but I can surely modify the ones included in the book to fit my simple website building needs (this book is good for people who want a quick solution to writing--ok, copying--some basic Javascript onto their personal pages). I used this book to get a quick idea of how to create a small window for viewing larger versions of linked thumbnail pictures on my kids' website. In essence, I just modified the example code to fit my needs. Also useful was a script for inserting the date into pages--even though Dreamwaever does that automatically. This book works best as a look-up-what-you-need quick reference if you are good at copying code correctly (javascript is definitely spacing-sensitive) and using it. It will not make you a Javascript programming god. Still a good buy if you want an idea of what javascript looks like, some basic things that can be accopmplished with it, and some snappy code for neat things to add on your website (though some smell of tackiness) such as picture slide shows and browser version plug-in checks (good if you use a specific version of a media player and must test for it on your visitor's browser).
Rating: 
Summary: Not a book for programmers!
Review: I bought this book when I worked as a Web Developer during last summer which involved lots of both server side and client side programming. This book DOES NOT explain the core concepts in Javascript eg. the DOM - Document Object Model, the proper way of writing cookies, and omits too much what a programer has to know. It only give you some examples and expect you to understand the whole concept. I believe any of the tutorials online is MUCH better than this book.
Rating:
Summary: Can You Say Worthless?
Review: How can you teach JavaScript language rules when all you do is show cookbook type examples that aren't even worth your time? The explanation is terrible; the variable uses are extremely difficult to follow. This book lacks all sense of logic and that is all that a programming language is.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent instructions and visual examples
Review: This one is another Visual Quick Start winner. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the series, Visual Quick Start books combine simple step-by-step instructions with visual examples of code and output. This book like others in the series is easy for novices and a handy reference for seasoned programmers. "JavaScript for the World Wide Web" organizes its lessons by tasks. The easier tasks (such as creating a screen that says "Hello World") preceed the more difficult ones (such as testing the user's browser for various plugins). But essentially, a person can read the basic chapters to develop a foundation and then skip ahead to the desired task. Another added benefit of this book is that the authors update it with common user errors. I was having a lot of trouble with one section and found to my delight that the Tip provided on that page addressed my error directly. This is a welcome change from something like the For Dummies series which sometimes has obnoxious callouts that don't help you at all. A word of warning about programming in JavaScript. If you are using a Web Editor it might prioritize the placement of certain HTML tags regardless of where you put them. As a result, it might place an object such as a named image in front of the code that declares the object. As a result, your script will work on a PC which is too fast to account for such an error, but not on the Internet which is slow enough to catch it. Try to write your HTML in a text editor as much as possible or at least understand the quirks of your Web Editor. As a programming novice who did not know JavaScript a few months ago, I rate this book highly.
Rating: 
Summary: Recipe-based book without teaching the basics
Review: Perhaps if you are interested in copying and slightly modifying simple javascript snippets, this book might work for you. But if you are interested in a more fundamental understanding of Javascript so that you can go beyond the examples, this book is lacking in explanation. But the most annoying part of the book is the unreadable (and thus unusable) legend in the appendix that indicates which properties, methods and handlers are supported by which browsers.
Rating:
Summary: Useless
Review: I hated this book for it's organization and it's format. Poor examples, too little explenation as to why your would practically use the functions being taught. I much prefer the teach your self in 21 day format books
Rating:
Summary: Definitely NOT the quick and easy way!
Review: My Real World Adobe GoLive 5 book recommended JavaScript for the WWW, so I bought it. I have done some successful programming over many years in both BASIC and HyperLogo; and I have written web pages in HTML - all with no problem. I bought JavaScript for Dummies and JavaScript for the WWW about a month ago, and have devoted a lot of time - totaling maybe 48 hours, using the books, to learning JavaScript. I am sorry to say that I have gotton essentially nowhere. I find that after a lot of study, grief and frustration, that I am unable to write anything beyond even the most elementary of scripts. I cannot think of anyone who would benefit from either of these books.
Rating:
Summary: Peachpit Press Made a Mistake with This One
Review: I'm a big fan of Peachpit Press's Visual Quickstart Guides -- in fact, when people ask me for advice on learning to make web pages, I don't hesitate to recommend Elizabeth Castro's HTML for the World Wide Web. However, the 3rd edition of this book is a huge disappointment and truly did nothing to help me understand JavaScript and how it works. It really doesn't even have many good or original scripts in it! Interestingly enough, I had an earlier edition of this book (I can't remember whether it was the 1st or 2nd edition) which, although written by different authors, was equally unhelpful. I've gotten far more out of Joe Burns' online JavaScript tutorials at Earthweb.
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