Top JavaScript books curated by experts

At MentorCruise, we are all about making the most out of the experience of others. As part of that, we have connected and asked dozens of experts and professionals about their favouriteJavaScript books – and here are the answers.

  • Curated by industry experts
  • Proven learning resources
  • Updated annually
Top JavaScript books recommended by experts
User Check

Did you know?

We have over 3,000 mentors available right now!

Fundamentals of JavaScript

Understanding the concepts of JavaScript starts with understanding the fundamentals. On your way to mastery, it's crucial for you to understand how certain concepts were derived, and why things work like they do. Starting with these resources is the best way to do so.

Eloquent JavaScript, 3rd Edition: A Modern Introduction to Programming

Eloquent JavaScript, 3rd Edition: A Modern Introduction to Programming

JavaScript lies at the heart of almost every modern web application, from social apps like Twitter to browser-based game frameworks like Phaser and Babylon. Though simple for beginners to pick up and play with, JavaScript is a flexible, complex language that you can use to build full-scale appli…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Learning JavaScript Design Patterns

Learning JavaScript Design Patterns

Do you want to write beautiful, structured, and maintainable JavaScript by applying modern design patterns to the language? Do you want clean, efficient, manageable code? Want to stay up-to-date with the latest best practices? If so, the updated second edition of Learning JavaScript Design Patte…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

JavaScript and JQuery: Interactive Front-End Web Development

JavaScript and JQuery: Interactive Front-End Web Development

In JavaScript and jQuery: Interactive Front-End Development, best-selling author Jon Duckett delivers a fully illustrated guide to making your websites more interactive and your interfaces more interesting and intuitive. In the book, you’ll explore basic programming concepts that assume no prior…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Head First JavaScript Programming: A Brain-Friendly Guide

Head First JavaScript Programming: A Brain-Friendly Guide

This brain friendly guide teaches you everything from JavaScript language fundamentals to advanced topics, including objects, functions, and the browser’s document object model. You won’t just be reading—you’ll be playing games, solving puzzles, pondering mysteries, and interacting with JavaScri…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Javascript: The Definitive Guide

Javascript: The Definitive Guide

Since 1996, JavaScript: The Definitive Guide has been the bible for JavaScript programmers—a programmer's guide and comprehensive reference to the core language and to the client side JavaScript APIs defined by web browsers. The 6th edition covers HTML5 and ECMAScript 5. Many chapters have been …

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

High Performance JavaScript

High Performance JavaScript

If you're like most developers, you rely heavily on JavaScript to build interactive and quick-responding web applications. The problem is that all of those lines of JavaScript code can slow down your apps. This book reveals techniques and strategies to help you eliminate performance bottlenecks …

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Additional JavaScript Reading

These books are not required for you to learn JavaScript, but they are highly recommended for you to deepen your knowledge.

Effective JavaScript: 68 Specific Ways to Harness the Power of JavaScript

Effective JavaScript: 68 Specific Ways to Harness the Power of JavaScript

Dave Herman brings users a deep, studied, and practical understanding of the language, guiding them through example after example to help them come to the same conclusions he has. This is not a book for those looking for shortcuts; rather, it is hard-won experience distilled into a guided tour.<…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Learn JavaScript VISUALLY

Learn JavaScript VISUALLY

Beautifully Illustrated book that teaches javascript fundamentals trough metaphors, analogies and easy step-by-step exercises. Visual learners retain information very differently than their left brained counter-parts, and thus benefit from different approaches.

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

JavaScript & JQuery: The Missing Manual

JavaScript & JQuery: The Missing Manual

JavaScript lets you supercharge your HTML with animation, interactivity, and visual effects

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Maintainable JavaScript: Writing Readable Code

Maintainable JavaScript: Writing Readable Code

You may have definite ideas about writing code when working alone, but team development requires that everyone use the same approach. With the JavaScript practices in this book—including code style, programming tips, and automation—you will learn how to write maintainable code that other team me…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

JavaScript Crash Course: A Hands-On, Project-Based Introduction to Programming

JavaScript Crash Course: A Hands-On, Project-Based Introduction to Programming

JavaScript Crash Course is a fun-filled, fast-paced introduction to programming with JavaScript. Dive right in and you’ll be writing code, solving problems, and building working web applications and games in no time. You’ll start by learning fundamental programming concepts, such as variables, a…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Effective JavaScript

Effective JavaScript

In order to truly master JavaScript, you need to learn how to work effectively with the language’s flexible, expressive features and how to avoid its pitfalls. No matter how long you’ve been writing JavaScript code, Effective JavaScript will help deepen your understanding of this powerful langua…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

Specializations and Deeper JavaScript Knowledge

You've got your basics in order – time to move on to some advanced and specialized concepts. JavaScript is evolving every day, these books can help you master it.

JavaScript: The Definitive Guide: Master the World's Most-Used Programming Language

JavaScript: The Definitive Guide: Master the World's Most-Used Programming Language

JavaScript is the programming language of the web and is used by more software developers today than any other programming language. For nearly 25 years this best seller has been the go-to guide for JavaScript programmers. The seventh edition is fully updated to cover the 2020 version of JavaScr…

Recommended by the experts and mentors at MentorCruise.

This list is curated by MentorCruise and can include Amazon affiliate links. Have any other suggestions? Add here.

Augment your JavaScript books

There is no better source of accountability and motivation than having a personal mentor. What used to be impossible to find is now just two clicks away! All mentors are vetted & hands-on!

Still not convinced? Don't just take our word for it

We've already delivered 1-on-1 mentorship to thousands of students, professionals, managers and executives. Even better, they've left an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 for our mentors.

Find a JavaScript mentor