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A Smarter Way to Learn JavaScript: The new approach that uses technology to cut your effort in half Kindle Edition
I remove the problems, and you start having fun.
The first problem is retention. You remember only ten or twenty percent of what you read. That spells failure. To become fluent in a computer language, you have to retain pretty much everything.
How can you retain everything? Only by constantly being asked to play everything back. That's why people use flashcards. But my system does flashcards one better. After reading a short chapter, you go to my website and complete twenty interactive exercises. Algorithms check your work to make sure you know what you think you know. When you stumble, you do the exercise again. You keep trying until you know the chapter cold. The exercises are free.
The second problem is comprehension. Many learners hit a wall when they try to understand advanced concepts like variable scope and prototypes. Unfortunately, they blame themselves. That's why the Dummies books sell so well. But the fault lies with the authors, coding virtuosos who lack teaching talent. I'm the opposite of the typical software book author. I'll never code fast enough to land a job at Google. But I can teach.
Anyway, most comprehension problems are just retention problems in disguise. If you get lost trying to understand variable scope, it's because you don't remember how functions work. Thanks to the interactive exercises on my website, you'll always understand and remember everything necessary to confidently tackle the next concept.
"I've signed up to a few sites like Udemy, Codecademy, FreeCodeCamp, Lynda, YouTube videos, even searched on Coursera but nothing seemed to work for me. This book takes only 10 minutes each chapter and after that, you can exercise what you've just learned right away!" —Amazon reviewer Constanza Morales
Better than just reading. And more fun.
You'll spend two to three times as much time practicing as reading. It's how you wind up satisfied, confident, and proud, instead of confused, discouraged, and defeated. And since many people find doing things more enjoyable than reading things, it can be a pleasure to learn this way, quite apart from the impressive results you achieve.
"Very effective and fun." —Amazon reviewer A. Bergamini
Written especially for beginners.
I wrote the book and exercises especially for people who are new to programming. Making no assumptions about what you already know, I walk you through JavaScript slowly, patiently. I explain every little thing in sixth-grade English. I avoid unnecessary technical jargon like the plague. (Face it, fellow authors, it is the plague.)
"The layman syntax he uses...makes it much easier to suddenly realize a concept that seemed abstract and too hard to wrap your head around is suddenly not complicated at all." — Amazon reviewer IMHO
The exercises keep you focused, give you extra practice where you're shaky, and prepare you for each next step. Every lesson is built on top of a solid foundation that you and I have carefully constructed. Each individual step is small. But, as Amazon reviewer James Toban says, when you get to the end of the book, you've built "a tower of JavaScript."
If you're an accomplished programmer already, my book may be too elementary for you. (Do you really need to be told what a variable is?) But if you're new to programming, more than a thousand five-star reviews are pretty good evidence that my book may be just the one to get you coding JavaScript successfully.
"Mark Myers' method of getting what can be...difficult information into a format that makes it exponentially easier to consume, truly understand, and synthesize into real-world application is beyond anything I've encountered before." —Amazon reviewer Jason A. Ruby
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateNovember 28, 2013
- File size2.2 MB
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About the Author
Product details
- ASIN : B00H1W9I6C
- Publisher : (November 28, 2013)
- Publication date : November 28, 2013
- Language : English
- File size : 2.2 MB
- Simultaneous device usage : Unlimited
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Not Enabled
- Print length : 256 pages
- Page numbers source ISBN : 1497408180
- Best Sellers Rank: #321,048 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #38 in JavaScript Programming (Kindle Store)
- #48 in Web Programming
- #77 in JavaScript Programming (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

When I got into the authoring business twelve years ago, I'd been a newspaper reporter, advertising executive, and lecturer in communications at Boston University. I'd spent my life making things easy to understand and, if possible, entertaining.
What's more, I understood learning. It's what got me through Harvard, cum laude, with a minimum of effort.
As a dedicated home cook who owned a hundred cookbooks, I knew that even the great Julia Child couldn't transfer her skills to me through the written word. I had to practice.
With this background and years of coding experience as a computer enthusiast, I felt I was the right guy to reinvent the computer language book.
My learner-friendly teaching approach, put to the test in my Smarter Way to Learn series, has accumulated more than four thousand five-star reviews on Amazon—a record for books in this category.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book's learning method effective and engaging. They appreciate the short, concise chapters that are easy to read in 5-15 minutes. The interactive exercises help strengthen new skills and build upon existing ones. Readers describe the book as easy to digest and worth the money. The exercises come in a variety of methods and formats, helping them learn and memorize the material from several angles.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book's learning method helpful for learning JavaScript syntax and developing consistent habits. They appreciate the approach for each mini lesson, which provides beginners with the building blocks to begin. The practice questions are short and sweet, and they make you code properly. Overall, readers find this book a good way to learn JavaScript.
"...in blanks with key words and ending up with writing and running actual code snippets. They seduce you with a rapid start and positive reinforcement...." Read more
"...I am very enthusiastic about learning coding this way, as an older person who has an in-born love for computer programming but is intimidated by the..." Read more
"...Also, as the lessons become more advanced, it continually introduces elements of earlier lessons, so you don't have to re-learn the things you..." Read more
"...Despite these criticisms, Mr. Myers has done a very good job building a JavaScript resource about which he should be very proud." Read more
Customers find the chapters in the book short and quick. They say it takes 5-15 minutes to read a chapter. The reading is short and to the point, then it follows up with quizzes and interactive techniques. There is no lengthy website to be distracted by advertisements or having to dig. The book is divided into very small chapters, each teaching only a small bit of new information.
"...As this book is quite long and in depth aside from that, I'm not sure how much more getting deeper into RegEx would've extended this book...." Read more
"...The longest lesson was 3 pages. Very doable in a quick sitting...." Read more
"...Each chapter is short and you spend most of your time doing exercises. No environment to setup and no error ridden code to copy...." Read more
"...I also like that the chapters are short; I'm able to block an hour out of my day and read through a chapter PLUS take the practice exam...." Read more
Customers enjoy the interactive exercises in the book. They find them challenging and fun to complete. The pace is lively and engaging, with results appearing before their eyes. The book makes learning code fun and not overwhelming. It provides interactive lessons to strengthen new skills and build upon them. Readers appreciate the short, concise chapters with interactive lessons online in a virtual sandbox that let them test and apply.
"...You'll have fun, improve reading comprehension, memory, reasoning, typing accuracy and speed. For some parts you'll need a little HTML...." Read more
"...It's fulfilling and a fun way to learn and actually get to write the code regularly so that it really sticks...and you need to learn the syntax..." Read more
"...It was fun and interactive, and it also explained everything pretty well. It went a little more in depth on many topics I was confused with...." Read more
"...Every bite-sized chapter comes with 20 online interactive exercises to work with the syntax, methods, and concepts introduced... this is the..." Read more
Customers find the book's format straightforward and easy to understand. They appreciate the simple, short chapters and exercises that break down new concepts into manageable parts. The website interface is also praised for its ease of use.
"...The longest lesson was 3 pages. Very doable in a quick sitting...." Read more
"...He does an amazing job breaking down Javascript into parts that are easily and fully understood...." Read more
"...As most of the book reviews state, it is separated into small, digestible parts, and the online exercises are fantastic at reiterating the..." Read more
"...There's even timed statement-writing exercises, easy snippets that are really doable. So don't forget that damn semicolon for each statement, LOL...." Read more
Customers find the book provides good value for money. They say it's an incredible investment and worth the price.
"...consider that getting this book in Kindle, e-reader format is so very inexpensive..." Read more
"...This is the best money I've spent on any learning material in a long time. Thank you to the author." Read more
"...Take a break. Rinse and repeat. And you cannot go wrong at the low price." Read more
"...reviews on this book and thought I'd give it a shot since the price was so low; I figured I had nothing to lose! I am not disappointed!!..." Read more
Customers find the book's interactive exercises helpful. They mention it comes with a large cache of practice exercises in a variety of methods and formats. The accompanying online exercises are excellent and get you to do what you need to do, code. The timed questions and examples are useful. Overall, customers appreciate the right mix of interactivity, repetition, learning, and applying what they learn.
"...The format of the exercises is varied which serves to keep your interest up and the positive feedback makes them like eating potato chips - hard to..." Read more
"...So, the exercises note your mistakes and bring you back to have a chance to get the same, or similar, exercise correct...." Read more
"...Hands-down! I really appreciate how cleanly the chapters, and exercises are laid out and chunked perfectly for 20-30 minute sit-downs...." Read more
"...It may not look fancy, but great care was taken, I assure you...." Read more
Customers find the book provides a solid JavaScript foundation. They say it's well-organized and durable, with positive reinforcement and online practice. The book is well-put together, providing a good foundation that is consistent.
"...They seduce you with a rapid start and positive reinforcement...." Read more
"...It is a solid, superior first course in the basics of writing JavaScript." Read more
"...the chapters, and exercises are laid out and chunked perfectly for 20-30 minute sit-downs...." Read more
"...I really want to support Myers in his efforts to provide such high quality and effective training." Read more
Customers appreciate the book's gradual build-up. They find the lessons bite-sized and logically progress to more complex aspects. The chapters are short with end-of-chapter quizzes that reinforce the material. The content is introduced in small doses, with each lesson followed up by 20 short exercises. Customers find the presentation and hands-on exercises engaging.
"...fail to do is present the learning in a manner that builds on previous lessons. An example: the very first lesson covers alerts...." Read more
"...Each chapter logically builds on previous chapters. The tecnnique is simple. Read (<10 mins), do the exercises (<25 mins), take a walk...." Read more
"...But it is an excellent start that builds good programming habits and increases knowledge retention...." Read more
"...Wow, this is good teaching! The knowledge is broken down to bite sized chunks, and you're tested mercilessly at every step...." Read more
Reviews with images
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I cautiously recommend this book. THE ONLINE EXERCISES BADLY NEED ERROR REPORTING OR PROOFREADING.
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2014This training technology (it's much more than a book) probably was targeted at web developers and it's great for them but it has far wider applicability.
Beginners: Kids, I am your grandfather, a card carrying Mensan, and have been in information technology since before your parents were born, *stop reading* come back when you've completed the 'A Smarter Way to Learn JavaScript" that I gave you.
Senior Citizens: Stop wasting time with "brain training". Learn something useful while training AND acquire a new opportunity for self expression. You'll have fun, improve reading comprehension, memory, reasoning, typing accuracy and speed. For some parts you'll need a little HTML. Someone should write a one page HTML cheat sheet specific to the course.
Lynda.com: Immediately purchase Mark for an obscene amount of money and we can all say we knew him when.
The rest of you: Mark Myers has done something great here. He has applied some sound psychological principles to teach practical JavaScript programming.
Why do you care? Add "these few precepts in thy memory": JavaScript started off as Brendan Eich's simple, quick effort to provide web site scripting. It is now a monster probably accounting for more lines of code than any other language and is best described by David Flanagan's 1078 pages of "JavaScript: The Definitive Guide". You probably aren't going to go cover-to-cover with that tome but, if you're serious, you should own a copy. JavaScript has been taken over by a standards body and is called ECMAScript 5 with ECMAScript 6 soon to be released. People are cross compiling other languages into JavaScript. Browsers run it so efficiently that first person shooters have been written in JavaScript. "It's alive!" AND evolving.
Of course Mark doesn't teach the whole thing. It probably wouldn't even be advisable - see Douglas Crockford's, "JavaScript: The Good Parts", the other book you really should own to get into JavaScript.
No, Mark restricted himself to more what Brendan's bosses probably had in mind when they tasked him with coming up with a web scripting language. It's not all you need but it's a real good start. This is not a text to read. It is not a reference.
A Smarter Way to Learn JavaScript is a training system for a useable subset of JavaScript. It consists of 89, two to three page Chapters. Carefully read the Chapter - there *will* be a quiz. Each topic chapter is matched with 20 exercises on the web site. The exercises are where you'll spend the most time. They create a graduated involvement in producing code starting with filling in blanks with key words and ending up with writing and running actual code snippets. They seduce you with a rapid start and positive reinforcement. This is experiential learning by guided doing and will require effort on your part to carefully read the exercise, to understand the point the author is making and then verify your comprehension by completing the exercise task - usually a line or two of code . There is new info in the exercises; they do not merely cover what's in the text. The format of the exercises is varied which serves to keep your interest up and the positive feedback makes them like eating potato chips - hard to stop with just one. Don't try, do. Encouraging words and a green background added to your answer become rewards you'll seek. If you're wrong, learn from it. It may stick with you longer and you'll get a chance to redeem yourself as you complete the exercises. I worked every one of them - some are real puzzlers requiring brain power beyond rote memory. Keep the big picture in mind and go for simple solutions.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2018I have previously reviewed Mark's HTML/CSS book which I had to learn in tandem while learning JavaScript in this book. I am very enthusiastic about learning coding this way, as an older person who has an in-born love for computer programming but is intimidated by the thought of having to try to remember things I've learned (not nearly as easy to do as when I was young).
Since I have now gotten used to the general concepts of coding that cross platforms (I have now learned some PHP at free sites online, also with a PHP/MySQL book purchased from Amazon, and am now also working my way through Mark's Python book), I realize even more how helpful teaching like this is for either beginners or someone like me who learned some programming languages long ago but needed a reboot having forgotten much of what I'd originally learned. Mark uses the same type of starting examples across his different books, they are simple to understand and he starts out very easy, plainly laid out so that you are able to grasp the underlying mechanisms at play.
One thing to note is he doesn't get into any detail about regular expressions. In the chapter that touches on it, he openly expresses that. As I'm here to learn how to fluently code with confidence, at first I was a little concerned about this, but there are places I can find online to go into further depth on this subject, which sounds a little confusing. As this book is quite long and in depth aside from that, I'm not sure how much more getting deeper into RegEx would've extended this book. So, when you consider that getting this book in Kindle, e-reader format is so very inexpensive (you just download the Amazon reader app to your computer and start working on it through there, the links at the end of the chapters will open your browser to practice what you just learned), a person can easily afford other teaching materials to go into more depth on that subject if you so desired.
Having looked at some other reviews of the chapter practice sessions, I feel the need to state that I've never had an issue with any of the peculiarities of learning code this way. The author has to structure the practices with precise number of spaces in certain areas, etc., as this is an automated system, not an AI system, of checking what you entered to see if it's a workable way of completing the required task, so the rigidness of the practice is necessary. It's the short chapters and immediate, multiple question practice that is the overwhelming strength of this book. I can't really imagine a different way now that I've tried this way.
Originally I had tried taking lots of notes (to help my old memory) and then doing the practice at the end of each chapter. I realized at one point about halfway through this book that I had to go through the HTML/CSS book in order to be able to work with JavaScript for webpages. Once I finished that book, I went back through the first JavaScript chapters again rapid-fire, because I'd already lost some confidence in my memory of what I'd already learned with JavaScript (kids out there, getting old sucks that way!). That way of going through the book works really well, I found (that's how I am now going through Mark's Python book). I also discovered that I did in fact retain more than I believed I did, this way of learning truly works!
- Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2024I have been trying to teach myself Javascript for a while now. The problem I keep running into is, most of the tutorials, books and courses are written for people that already understand the material, or basic programming. Another problem is the other courses give you lots of information, but no lessons so you can put what you have studied to work. This book is different. It's written in a way that is understandable, without talking down to the reader. Also, as the lessons become more advanced, it continually introduces elements of earlier lessons, so you don't have to re-learn the things you learned before.
I am so impressed with this teaching material, that I am taking time from one of my learning sessions, just to write this review. This is the best money I've spent on any learning material in a long time.
Thank you to the author.
Top reviews from other countries
- MacReviewed in Canada on September 29, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book for learning Java
It contains good information and the online exercises are fun. This is also great for those on a tight schedule.
MacExcellent book for learning Java
Reviewed in Canada on September 29, 2024
Images in this review
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ottikReviewed in Germany on February 23, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Genial, kann ich jedem empfehlen.
Das Buch ist so aufgebaut das man von Anfang an alles von Grund auf ausarbeitet, jeder kann mit diesem Buch Javascript lernen.
- najmudheenReviewed in India on June 7, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars Best javascript book for brginners
Every concept is clear
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Israel MartinezReviewed in Mexico on June 14, 2017
4.0 out of 5 stars Aprender a programar Java Script
El libro tiene un estilo muy condensado del lenguaje, sirve muy bien para aprender y despuès poder profundizar en el tema con otros libros y o tutoriales, ya que lo basico esta bien explicado
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BurialReviewed in France on December 16, 2018
5.0 out of 5 stars Parfait pour un débutant
Suite à une formation vidéo un peu floue sur javascript, j'ai acheté ce livre sur Kindle ( moins de 7 euros ) car il avait énormément d'avis positifs sur amazon.com.
Je ne suis pas déçu. L'auteur est extrêmement clair et vous fait avancer pas à pas dans la pratique de javascript.
Mais la cerise sur le gâteau ce sont les super exercices accessibles sur son blog, via un lien fourni à chaque fin de chapitre (parfois, 20 exercices pour 2 pages de théorie ! ).
Exercices chronométrés, théoriques et répétitifs, corrigés immédiatement afin de bien retenir et appliquer ce que l'on vient de lire dans le bouquin. Un très bon livre motivant pour un prix dérisoire !