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Rating: 
Summary: Not recommended
Review: I bought this book to learn how to write JavaScript, and all it does is show me the ones that you CAN do if you want to copy and paste it into your web page. If you want to actually learn it and be able to write your own scripts this book is not for you.
Rating:
Summary: Good for copying code you need but not learning JavaScript
Review: I have to agree with Robert from Philly above -- this book is good for copying code that you need for your site but NOT for teaching you how to use JavaScript, despite the fact that the front cover claims that you can "teach yourself JavaScript the quick and easy way!... You'll be up and running in no time!" Well, you cannot teach yourself JavaScript with any depth of understanding with this book and the only way you can be "up and running" is by copying their code into your HTML document. Right at the beginning of the text there is a brief section (5 pages) describing what objects, properties, methods, event handlers, and variables/values are, but then the text jumps right into complex code for specific functions with general explanations of the details and barely any explanation of the syntax, as if the authors just EXPECT that you will want to copy the code for your own personal use instead of understand it. I was very, very disappointed in this book that was recommended to me by a JavaScript teacher.
Rating: 
Summary: SCRIPTS DON'T WORK
Review: I have two other Javascript books and have used on-line resources from time to time. I found this fifth edition to be a worthy addition. It isn't intended to be the ultimate comprehensive book, nor does it target the advanced scripter who wants the latest in tips and tricks. As it says in the introduction, the authors "concentrate on showing you how to get useful tasks done with JavaScript without a lot of extraneous information." The "Where to Learn More" section directs you to an excellent sampling of on-line resources that more than adequately addresses what you might find lacking in this book. There are lots of practical examples and there is a companion site on-line where you can check out the examples and access the code for copy and pasting. Since there are so many different ways to do things with JavaScript, you may or may not like the choices the authors make in the examples but you can't go far wrong imitating their style. The language is clear and easy for me to understand, which really helps. Javascript can be really frustrating compared to some other languages because there is zero tolerance for error and the error messages generated are of such little help in identifying the problem. The tips this book offers on debugging are worth way more than the price of the book!
Rating: 
Summary: Great for newbies and seasoned pros
Review: I will never need to buy another JavaScript book. This book covers all the basics and provides understandable examples with explanations. It also provides full program examples such as building a slide show and random images. There is an easy-to-follow object flowchart to help you remember the order objects are called as well as a list of reserved words. The comprehensive index also makes it easy to access information on a specific subject -- whether you are new to JavaScript or you use it for a living. Great learning and reference tool.
Rating:
Summary: This is the book to read first
Review: If you know basic HTML, and want to get a start on JavaScript, this is absolutely the best book to get. It leads you gently through the basics, providing lots of useful and thoroughly explained example scripts. I've used this book to teach non-programmers, humanities students who were building web pages for their classes, and it really works. Smith and Negrino are not just good programmers, they're good writers and teachers, and they keep the companion web site up to date. Their book is a fabulous foundation for JavaScript, and you can start using JavaScript almost immediately, even if you only use their example scripts. They're also unusual, as JavaScript book authors, in that they teach good scripting habits, as well as the usual nuts and bolts.
Rating:
Summary: Examples+ Learning-
Review: If you want to just copy code from the book and paste it on your websites, this is the book for you. In which case, you may as well download JavaScripts from some website. It does have line-by-line explanations for the scripts, but the explanations are not that great. it's not organized in the best manner, either. I never understood loops reading this book until I started learning Perl and used a book that explained it. Then I understood how to use them in JavaScript. If you want to actually learn to code, rather that just copy code, I'd suggest a different book.
Rating: 
Summary: Blast From the Past
Review: Most books on JavaScript are packed with examples of how to do several simple tasks. Kinda like a cookbook; you can make several different individual items, but there's very little or no guidance at all on how to make a nice dinner or meal made up of several items that blend nicely. Or, more importantly, no explanation of *why* certain items should go together and others should not. An average teacher shows you "how" to do it; a great teacher tells you "why" it's done that way. "JavaScript For The World Wide Web" tells you "why" JavaScript works the way it does, and points you to several web sites that further clearly explain it's finer points.
The examples are very informative and cover a wide range of situations and techniques.
Each chapter is full of easy to understand examples, and the appendix that covers the JavaScript object table is a gold mine
all by itself. The best part about this book is that you are shown how to write cross-broswer compliant JavaScript that isn't huge and confusing. This book is so important to me that I keep it next to my PC, right beside my O'Reilly JavaScript book (the one with the rhino on the cover). If you have never programmed a line of code in your life, this book will help get you started. Don't be afraid of writing code that won't work; there's lots of places on the WWW that are full of experienced programmers willing to help. This book is great place to start. :)
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