Good Javascript (inc frameworks) and DOM books

Question

I have recently been using jQuery and some modules of Yahoo's YUI tools to develop a website and found myself getting more interested in learning how the Javascript code works "behind the scenes". This Javascript book has been recommended to me, however I have heard that it isn't as suitable for beginners in the language - I am a fairly confident programmer (with a background in Java and C#), and im hoping this won't prove too much of a leap to start off with? I like the look of "JavaScript: The Good Parts", as it is meant to highlight the differences between JS and standard OOP languages better than the core O'Reilly book.

Any general background reading material on Javascript, DOM and some feedback on the different types of frameworks would be welcome, or specific books you feel have helped you!

Thanks in advance

EDIT: Really nice to see positive feedback for "The Good Parts", I think I will be picking this up next. One a side note, I just purchased a copy of The Pragmatic Programmer, based on the info in this thread and am enjoying it far more than any other programming related book I have ever read :)

Answer 1

I like "Professional JavaScript for Web Developers" by Nicholas Zakas. It came out before "AJAX" was a buzzword and has lots of good information in it.

http://www.amazon.com/Professional-JavaScript-Developers-Wrox-Guides/dp/0764579088

Answer 2

I found this interactive online tutorial very useful: "Learning Advanced JavaScript" by John Resig at http://ejohn.org/apps/learn/ . It explains many core JavaScript concepts concisely.

Answer 3

If you're just wanting to learn how to use JavaScript for DOM manipulation I definitely recommend learning JavaScript through jQuery and the best book for that in my opinion is Manning's jQuery in Action.

Answer 4

I come from a non-programmer background, 3D animator, so when I decided to build a web app with JS/jQuery I started looking at books but didn't find any particularly helpful. For me, the easiest way to learn was to figure out what I wanted to do then Google around for some code (most elements of web apps have been done before in some way.) If I set the goal to high, stumbled a bit on an AJAX image uploader, I would break the system down and try to build each piece.

You probably know some of this already having a programming background. Specifically for JS though, jQuery is a great start to get the main concepts; selectors, DOM, so on, then moving into raw JS isn't as daunting.

Of course when something specific just plain doesn't make sense, the support here is really invaluable.

Answer 5

JavaScript: The Good Parts is a book everyone using javascript should read, period. That said, maybe you could start by watching some javascript for beginners talks (off the top of my head, this one from academic earth). There's also Crockford's "Crockford on Javascript" series of lectures which are REALLY good.

Answer 6

Javascript: The Good Parts -> is an excellent book. It stays closer to the prototypal nature of javascript than others I have read.

Answer 7

Watch out for "Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja" by John Resig. It will definitely be an awesome book.

It comes out this summer.