When they say it's a Bible they don't lie! If you don't buy this book you will go to HELL!!

This is another example of a "doorstop book" (which is where mine was until I sold it to a used book dealer for $5). Like so many other computer books (e.g. Special Edition Using... or XXXX Unleashed), this author tries to impress the buyer with the size of the book.

The content of the book was poorly organized as well as poorly written. It is difficult to navigate and learn the language. If this is the JavaScript Bible, shouldn't it educate the user in the development of JavaScripts for the web? A better structure of this book would have been to develop mock scripts for a functioning web site.
Furthermore, the CD that is included is worthless. The "hundreds" of free software titles are actually worthless trials from companies marketing their tools and products. So, I wonder why they (attempt) to teach JavaScript then include samples of actual software packages that they then market to the user.

Alternatively, I would recommend the O'Reilly book on JavaScript. O'Reilly has a track record of producing concise books that actually teach the topic. They are not 700+ page monsters that are filled with fluff. I would also caution against purchasing future editions as they tend to be nearly identical to the previous version with minor additions.

I had such a great time working through most of the material in the first 8 chapters of this book. The examples were clear and helped me to thoroughly implement what I was learning. During chapter 9, I started to get annoyed with the typos, poor answers to some of the Tutorial Exercises, and examples that were irrelevant to anything I wanted to accomplish. At the end of chapter 10, I decided to move on to an O'Reilly book.

This book strengthened my base in programming principles. I appreciated the explanations, when they were written thoroughly. When I get confused, I dig in stubbornly until I figure it out. Perhaps someone who breezes past the confusing parts will do better with this book.

I'm a frustrated beginner at Javascript. This book is part of what frustrated me. It's not very clear, with not enough examples and not enough details all at the same time. Much later, after I put down this book in frustration, I picked up WROX press' "Beginning Javascript," which I find much easier to follow. If only I had started with that book instead of this one!

I have been javascripting since 1996. As such, I've been through two editions of the javascript bible, including this third edition. It's only gotten better (as javascript has also improved in breadth). This is not a book for someone who simply wants an A-Z manual. If you want a book that truly spans the beginner through expert category, however, this IS it. Goodman provides in-depth explanations and examples at all stages of your development. If you are a beginner, start at the beginning. If you are an expert, use the index. Either way, this is a must- have for any web programmer's library.

If you are totally new to programming (like I was) this book will not in itself be the one for you. I have recently purchased an other book (JavaScript in 24 hours) which i luckily read first. It's a bit high level for a newbie delving into the core aspects of JS. If you have minimal knowledge you may to be able to get by. My suggestion to people who have purchased this book and find it overwhelming is to keep it on the shelf. When this book is aided by a lower level intro book (such as JavaScript in 24 hours) you will have little troubles understanding the basics of OOM.

From a web designers perspective (which I am) This book will not offer the latest and greatest tricks to make the world wow at your latest creation. BUT it will lay a great foundation to which you will easily be able to add other scripting languages to your portfolio.

It's kind of like that medicine your mom made you take as a kid....it tastes awful but works.

JavaScript Bible is an excellent book for learning JavaScript and Dynamic HTML. The only mistake I made was letting someone borrow it...because they never returned it and they're not around to get it back... Now, I have to buy it again...

Anyways, There is a 4th Edition of JavaScript Bible, dated April 2001. Brendan Eich, one of the co-authors of the book, is a developer of the Netscape/Mozilla web browser.

There are a lot of computer books these days which are nothing but expensive pieces of paper, but JavaScript Bible is not one them.

Overall, I have found the book to be very helpful in learning JavaScript.

Overall a very good book for beginners. If you are a web designer then it's better to get a thin book like javascript visually or something that gives you the code without explaining much. If you are more involved in web application programming, and need to understand javascript for custom programming, then this book is a perfect fit. Easy to read, good clear examples, and an overall good reference.

Originally I bought this book to help me learn and understand JavaScript. I have since moved on to other web-based languages, yet this book remains by my side and is as much a part of my work place as my chair. It has helped me to bring JavaScript, ASP, WebClasses, DHTML and many others together to provide excellent, high quality, and very versatile web pages. For anyone needing to break into JavaScript, refresh on some of the methods and properties, remember how to do this or that, or brush up on JavaScript, then this is the first book you need to look at. I gave this book 4 stars for if you really need to delve deep into JavaScript, then pick up an O'Reily book. But for a beginning or a reference, this one can't be beat!

Simply put, this is the best book available on JavaScript. The organization is just awesome. They group programming fundamentals first and they're covered thoroughly to give you a firm grasp on the syntax of JavaScript. Then you move on to the reference part of the book with full explanations of all the commands and functions built into JavaScript. I find myself constantly referring to this section when I'm scripting. And then you get to take everything you learned and apply it to real world examples. Once you've made it through this beast of a book, you'll have mastered JavaScript and be able to code it in your sleep. In response to those who said the technology covered in this book is outdated, ignore them. There has already been an updated version of 3rd edition published and now there's even a 4th edition. So if you're serious about JavaScript, take your hard-earned ...[cash] and go out and by this book. You will not be disappointed.