Customer Rating:  
Summary: If you've already got the "Definitive Guide", skip this
Comment: I was hoping and expecting that this little book would be the same quick-and-easy reference book that e.g. the "VBScript Pocket Reference" is -- I was sadly disappointed. Since "JavaScript: The Definitive Guide" is by the same author and publisher, I also expected this book to be a (somewhat) boiled-down version of the very thorough JavaScript Reference from that much larger book. I was even more disappointed there. In a "pocket reference" such as this I want and need nothing more or less than an alphabetical listing of the JavaScript universe. However, this book is divided into numerous chapters that require you to already know what category the thing you seek belongs to. Since there's no index in these little books, it is useless to me as someone who's still learning this stuff. I've set my copy aside and use the "Definitive Guide" exclusively.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great to carry around with you
Comment: I've found this is a great little reference that I can carry around with me when working on creating web-related programs. Its primarily a quick-reference guide to all the attributes on each of the common Javascript objects in the DOM (Document Object Model) and a very light overview of syntax. Don't get this for any kind of help on actually programming Javascript .. this is just primarily a reference.
Customer Rating:
Summary: just not meaty enough
Comment: I use it on occasion to refresh my memory about an attribute name or a method, but I usually have to go to the big books to get any more help than that. It's skimpy.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good reference guide.
Comment: This is a good Javascript reference. I use it all the time. Its small and easy to carry around in a laptop bag. Some areas could use a little more detail. For example, the one I need the most, window.open--what are all the window options???? Still very good and recommended though.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Not Complete - But Not Useless
Comment: Luckily I already had a solid handle on the basics of JavaScript before reading this book, because otherwise I'd be lost. One of the things every beginner programmer books needs is real-word examples of code with an explanation for almost EVERY line containing something new.It sounds excessive, but if you want to learn something, that's how it works. This book, for example, seems to have devoted half a page to the built in Date() function - which is ridiculous! Dates in JavaScript are a big deal to me, and something I want to learn a lot about. Ironically, the accompanying pocket reference that I happened to buy along with this book had more information concerning dates than the book, and answered the questions I had at the time, albeit with some guesswork on my part. The only thing I will praise this book on for now (still going through it) is its chapter on the DOM - Document Object Model. So far it seems quite plentiful, which is good. I'm no JS buff, but it seems as if the DOM is a major part of the language. Bottom line: do not buy this book if you're new to programming. If you already have a handle on variables, functions, arrays, and other such things, then you might be able to make do.
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