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JavaScript: The Good Parts

JavaScript: The Good Parts by Douglas Crockford

by Douglas Crockford

Shares rank 71 of 115 programming books by recommenders

Recommended for giving a more pragmatic way to work with JavaScript's messy language and environment, and for valuing concise code.

Recommended for giving a more pragmatic way to work with JavaScript's messy language and environment, and for valuing concise code.

3 people gave an opinion

recommend it
3
criticize it
0
approval share
100%
Each figure is one person. RecommendsCriticizes

Recommended in 3 of 13 months

  1. November 2025: not recommended
  2. December 2025: not recommended
  3. January 2026: not recommended
  4. February 2026: not recommended
  5. March 2026: not recommended
  6. April 2026: recommended
  7. May 2026: recommended
  8. June 2026: not recommended
  9. July 2026: not recommended
  10. August 2026: recommended
  11. September 2026: not recommended
  12. October 2026: not recommended
  13. 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 3 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

  • Pragmatic approach to messy JavaScript

    “Helped me get a more pragmatic approach to use that chaotic mess of a language and environment.”

    Comment from 26 Aug 2026 in “Python's pre-declared constants are kinda weird”
  • Values concise code

    “concision was considered a virtue”

    Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Nobody cracks open a programming book anymore”

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.

JavaScript: The Good Parts by Douglas Crockford compared with 4 alternatives
ProductRecommendCriticizeApprovalMonthsOwnedBadge
Crafting Interpretersby Robert Nystrom60494%10—Approved
Clean Codeby Robert C. Martin318726%9——
The Pragmatic Programmerby Andy Hunt and Dave Thomas28197%7—Approved
How to Design Programsby Matthias Felleisen and Robert Bruce Findler and Matthew Flatt and Shriram Krishnamurthi18290%7—Approved
JavaScript: The Good Partsby Douglas CrockfordThis page30100%3——
See all 115 programming books, ranked

What people said

2 of the 3 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.

“Helped me get a more pragmatic approach to use that chaotic mess of a language and environment.”

RecommendsComment from 26 Aug 2026 in “Python's pre-declared constants are kinda weird”

“concision was considered a virtue”

RecommendsComment from 26 May 2026 in “Nobody cracks open a programming book anymore”

Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.