# Eloquent JavaScript by Marijn Haverbeke

3 Hacker News commenters recommended Eloquent JavaScript by Marijn Haverbeke and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 1 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Recommended as a first JavaScript book that also teaches the computer science side of programming, and people return to it years later.

## Why people recommend it

- Teaches the computer science behind programming (1 comments): "it didn't just get me started on JavaScript but actually introduced that whole computer-sciencey side of programming" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48275720))
- Gets beginners started with JavaScript (1 comments): "it didn't just get me started on JavaScript but actually introduced that whole computer-sciencey side of programming" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48275720))
- Rewarding to revisit as skills grow (1 comments): "I learned so much when I picked it back up a few years later" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48025921))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Crafting Interpreters by Robert Nystrom](https://hackerapproved.com/p/crafting-interpreters.md): 60 recommend
- [Clean Code by Robert C. Martin](https://hackerapproved.com/p/clean-code.md): 31 recommend
- [The Pragmatic Programmer by Hunt and Thomas](https://hackerapproved.com/p/pragmatic-programmer.md): 28 recommend
- [How to Design Programs by Felleisen, Findler, Flatt and Krishnamurthi](https://hackerapproved.com/p/how-to-design-programs.md): 18 recommend
- [Mastering Emacs by Mickey Petersen](https://hackerapproved.com/p/mastering-emacs.md): 17 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1718504101?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9781718504103) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Eloquent JavaScript by Marijn Haverbeke", https://hackerapproved.com/p/eloquent-javascript/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).