DOM Scripting - Web Design with JavaScript and the Document Object Model -- By Jeremy Keith

I mentioned this book in a post the other day, but it really deserves it's own post. I just finished the book on Saturday, and I feel comfortable saying it's without a doubt, one most well written technology books I've ever had the pleasure to read.

I was skeptical at first, up until now, I felt the same as Dave Shea (CSS extraordinaire) in the forward:

"JavaScript? No way. It's inaccessible, you know. Relying on it will make your site unusable, too. It's the root of many an evil pop-up window. I mean, it probably even kicked your dog when no one was looking...."

"... Or so I thought..."

"... In fact, the sate of DOM Scripting at the moment reminds me of where CSS was in 2002. Up to that point, CSS had been considered this quirky little web display language that no one used for anything more than font styling."

Well, in 2002 I took to the leadership at my then current company, and laid the ground work for us to transition towards CSS layouts. It was, I believe, a good decision and has been a feather in my cap for every job I've applied for since.

Since 2002, much like Mr. Shea, I've avoided the use of JavaScript in my work. I thought of it as a hack, and admittedly, in many cases and implementations I've seen, still do. Mr. Keith, however, lays a great foundation for how to go about implementing JavaScript. In one of the most methodical, almost anal retentive, approaches I've seen applied to any programming book, Keith goes case by case instructing you how to go about using the trifecta of XHTML/CSS/JavaScript to create dynamic pages that also benefit from maintaining they're accessibility.

If you're an XHTML/CSS purist such as myself, who's strayed from JavaScript due to accessibilty and clientside benchmarks, DOM Scripting by Jeremy Keith is the perfect introduction to the language. It's a rare book that will easily double as an introductory text, as well as a proper reference for best practices and proper implementation. I also picked up the Oreilly JavaScript Rhino book at the same time, and I can't imagine working with DOM Scripting with both books at my side.

Seriously, I may sound as though I'm gushing a bit, but it may be the most accessible book I've read on technology. Mr. Keith obviously knows a large majority of his audience is designer oriented web developers who have avoided JavaScript due to it's programming nature. As such, he does a remarkable job describing technology in a very human language.

Go buy it!