Eloquent JavaScript
Eloquent JavaScript by Marijn Haverbekeby Marijn Haverbeke
Shares rank 71 of 115 programming books by recommenders
Recommended as a first JavaScript book that also teaches the computer science side of programming, and people return to it years later.
Recommended as a first JavaScript book that also teaches the computer science side of programming, and people return to it years later.
3 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 3
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 1 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 3 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 1 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Teaches the computer science behind programming
“it didn't just get me started on JavaScript but actually introduced that whole computer-sciencey side of programming”
Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Nobody cracks open a programming book anymore” Gets beginners started with JavaScript
“it didn't just get me started on JavaScript but actually introduced that whole computer-sciencey side of programming”
Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Nobody cracks open a programming book anymore” Rewarding to revisit as skills grow
“I learned so much when I picked it back up a few years later”
Comment from 5 May 2026 in “Collaborative Editing in CodeMirror”
Other programming books people recommend
The four most recommended other programming books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crafting Interpretersby Robert Nystrom | 60 | 4 | 94% | 10 | — | Approved |
| Clean Codeby Robert C. Martin | 31 | 87 | 26% | 9 | — | — |
| The Pragmatic Programmerby Hunt and Thomas | 28 | 1 | 97% | 7 | — | Approved |
| How to Design Programsby Felleisen, Findler, Flatt and Krishnamurthi | 18 | 2 | 90% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Eloquent JavaScriptby Marijn HaverbekeThis page | 3 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
All 3 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“it didn't just get me started on JavaScript but actually introduced that whole computer-sciencey side of programming”
“I learned so much when I picked it back up a few years later”
“those books are more than enough”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.