'User level: Beginner-Intermediate' I read, but I pity the poor beginner who has to start the study of JavaScript with this book. The code often seems to be more written by a beginner than for a beginner and JavaScript's language features are explained in a confusing order. For instance, the authors first describe how to call member- functions of the example-object 'beer' and after that they tell you how to create the object itself.

All the operators and built-in functions of JavaScript are listed, but very few are explained. The illustrations are uninspiring and in some cases unnecessary, e.g. it isn't necessary to show a trivial change in the output of a program with yet another half page picture of Netscape Navigator, with the output somewhere in the upper left corner.

Throughout the pages there are a lot of notes called

Note, Did you know... and Jargon . This can be a nice feature, but not two or three of them on the same page. Their main purpose seems to be to waste space, maybe to make the book look impressive in the bookshop.

More than one third of the 660 pages cover 'JavaScript programming reference', a 'JavaScript quick reference', the appendix and index. I think this is too much for a title not described as mainly a reference.

The book's greatest value is the chapters about Internet Commerce (LivePayment) and building an intranet with Javascript, which maybe can offer something for the more experienced user. However, for the purpose of learning JavaScript from scratch it is useless.

I consider that this title must have been written under time pressure and the result is both oversized and overpriced.