The 4th edition of the JavaScript book: Is the Definitive Guide still a reliable source?

This issue should be pretty out of date (I say "should" because I did not read). It is based on version 3 of the language standard ( ECMAScript 3 , where" JavaScript 1.5 "is this plus some exclusive Mozilla extensions).

The issue is 2001, and much has changed since then. In 2009, the ECMAScript 5 , revised in 2011 as ECMAScript 5.1 . These issues are backwards compatible with 3, but learning JS today based on version 3 would encourage bad habits that are falling into disuse. Nowadays, I would strongly recommend looking for a book version that is based on ES6 (also called ECMA-2015), or at least ES 5.1.

Looking at the index of the fourth edition, chapters 2 through 10 deal with the core of the language. Most of the topics covered here still apply today, but if you're going to rely on them to learn the language, it's good to consider some changes introduced by ES5 (and still valid in ES6):

• New array methods (in Array.prototype )
• New possibilities for working with inheritance via Object.create . Change of approach to language OOP possibilities (syntactically there was no major change, but practices changed in this period)
• ES5 ensures more compatibility between browsers than the previous version of the specification. Therefore, several compatibility topics in the book should be out of date.
• Among others, this list is not exhaustive.

In the following chapters dealing with the APIs implemented in browsers (mainly DOM), there were even greater changes from 2001 to here. If I understand correctly, the fourth edition of the book does not even deal with Ajax.

PS: Even more with the tags you originally used in the question. In 2001, jQuery and AngularJS did not even exist!

I recommend you go for a book that covers more solid features, tips and tricks. So you can implement thinking about production and continuous growth. If you have questions about the basics the internet already has a lot of material about it. Starting with something more consolidated, you can then start using more robust features such as node.js, angular.js, meteor.js, and so on.

I recommend you start with this book, it is very good and many JS developers use it as a manual. Portuguese version for purchase:

link

Yes, I have the book and it was exceptional for my learning of JavaScript. The book (as the author himself says on the front pages) is aimed primarily at the public who has never had any contact with the language, it covers simple topics of programming and progresses through each chapter to advanced (not very advanced) levels.

Unfortunately, or fortunately for me, JavaScript is shifting to ECMAScript 6, which implies that all current books will not be complete anymore. Many interesting features of ECMAScript 6 are not even mentioned in current books, so what you should keep in mind is: - you want to learn JavaScript now (the way it is) and then update with the news or wait a little longer and already study the subject of the present time?

If you want novelty you can start by reading the following book link it is being written and so it is always updated with the news.