Every once in awhile, a book comes along that is actually useful and accomplishes what it sets out to do. This is one of those: a wonderful, succinct text on mastering the ins and outs of using JavaScript effectively.

Thankfully, the author does not try to fill out the pages with an introduction to programming, general analysis questions, or the like. He assumes the reader has programming experience, if not in JavaScript directly. The title claims “68 proven approaches for writing better” code, and that is exactly the case, from just getting started to some tidbits I hadn’t thought of. Chapter 1 starts the flow with seven basic items, such as reminding the coder that the use of “==” is dangerous when using mixed types. Chapter 2 contains ten approaches to variable scoping, followed by a chapter with 12 angles on working with functions. There’s more significant content in chapter 4, which focuses on objects and prototypes. Chapter 5 covers arrays and dictionaries, and an all-too-brief chapter 6 attempts to suggest some approaches to the design of libraries and application programming interfaces (APIs). This is the only area where more pointers would have been helpful. The final chapter gives eight tips on the use (and the dangers) of concurrency in JavaScript.

I wish I’d had access to this book earlier in my life. It’s clear, well written, helpful, and completely pragmatic (in the best sense of the word). If you are even considering JavaScript coding, read it. If you’ve already coded, you need it as well.