Reader reviews

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

I came to this book already familiar with the basics, and it still had plenty to offer. I found myself making notes in the margins, which is always a good sign. The early chapters move quickly through material I already knew, but the later sections were genuinely new to me. Worth the money and the reading time, without hesitation.

Good value. Not perfect, but I would buy another book from this author.

I came to this book already familiar with the basics, and it still had plenty to offer. The exercises at the end of each chapter are worth doing — they caught a few misconceptions I did not know I had. I appreciated the honesty about what the book does not cover — it saved me from expecting things that were not there. The author is unusually honest about where the simplifications break down, which I appreciated. Worth picking up if you already have the basics. Set realistic expectations and you will get a lot out of it.

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

I was looking for something that would bridge the gap between tutorials and proper reference material, and this does that well. The early chapters move quickly through material I already knew, but the later sections were genuinely new to me. The code samples assume a particular environment, which took a bit of fiddling to get running properly. I appreciated the honesty about what the book does not cover — it saved me from expecting things that were not there. If you have the prerequisites, this is an easy recommendation. I will be keeping it on my desk rather than the shelf.

Solid and well-organised. A couple of chapters dragged a little.

I bought this on a whim after seeing it mentioned in a forum thread, and I am glad I did. The early chapters move quickly through material I already knew, but the later sections were genuinely new to me. The progression from chapter to chapter is well thought out; nothing feels out of order. Some of the material is available elsewhere, but rarely presented this clearly. A good addition to a technical library, as long as you know what you are buying.

Good book. The writing is direct and the author is honest about limits.

I read this over a couple of weekends alongside a small side project, which turned out to be the ideal way to approach it. The chapters on javascript are the strongest — the examples are stripped down but complete, and I could follow along without constant guessing. There is a section near the end that ties several earlier ideas together in a way I had not seen before. Solid, and I would buy another book from this author without hesitation.

Finally, a book that treats data visualization with the care it deserves.

I had been on the fence about this one for a while, and I should have bought it sooner. The author is unusually honest about where the simplifications break down, which I appreciated. I particularly liked the way the author builds up from simple cases before introducing the harder material. Some of the material is available elsewhere, but rarely presented this clearly. I have already recommended it to two colleagues and will recommend it to more.