There's a <a href="http://groups.google.com/group/jsmentors/browse_thread/thread/336a60331692fae0?tvc=2">discussion going on on the JSMentors JavaScript mailing list about books to read to get you to the next level</a>. There's been a lot of great feedback and suggestions thrown out and I wanted to offer up what I felt were good <strong>books/resources</strong> to carry you through the learning process. While I list a number of books in the <a href="http://blog.reybango.com/the-big-list-of-javascript-css-and-html-development-tools-libraries-projects-and-books/#books-js">Big List page that I created</a>, narrowing it down into specific levels makes a lot of sense. 

Note that some resources will overlap between levels. That should be expected as some books cover a wide breadth of language features. Also, I am NOT covering blogs in this post, only books (print and online). <strong>If you think something's missing, please add it to the comments below.</strong>

<strong><em>Also, I'm not saying that you need to read every book mentioned below.</em></strong> These are books that I've read over the years and found incredibly useful so I'm categorizing them to make it easier for you to get going. I've done the legwork so need for you to do the same. Choose the books that you feel suit you.

<h2>Introductory</h2>

These are books that will give you the fundamentals of the JavaScript language and get you started:

<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0596517742?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=rebasbl-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0596517742">JavaScript: The Good Parts</a><img class=" ztjyztsxjfidzcmozwna" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rebasbl-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0596517742" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1"></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/047022780X?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=rebasbl-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=047022780X">Professional JavaScript for Web Developers (Wrox Programmer to Programmer)</a><img class=" ztjyztsxjfidzcmozwna" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rebasbl-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=047022780X" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1"></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321423305?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=rebasbl-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0321423305">ppk on JavaScript, 1/e</a><img class=" ztjyztsxjfidzcmozwna" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rebasbl-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0321423305" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1"></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1590596803?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=rebasbl-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1590596803">Beginning JavaScript with DOM Scripting and Ajax: From Novice to Professional (Beginning: from Novice to Professional)</a><img class=" ztjyztsxjfidzcmozwna" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rebasbl-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=1590596803" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1"></li>
<li><a href="http://eloquentjavascript.net/">Eloquent JavaScript</a> (Online Resource)</li>
</ul>

<h2>Intermediate</h2>

Once you've gotten an understanding of the basics, it's time to get a resource that will take you deeper and in many cases be your reference for years to come. These books fit that description.

<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/047022780X?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=rebasbl-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=047022780X">Professional JavaScript for Web Developers (Wrox Programmer to Programmer)</a><img class=" ztjyztsxjfidzcmozwna" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rebasbl-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=047022780X" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1"></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0596101996?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=rebasbl-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0596101996">JavaScript: The Definitive Guide</a><img class=" ztjyztsxjfidzcmozwna" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rebasbl-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0596101996" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1"></li>
<li><a href="http://eloquentjavascript.net/">Eloquent JavaScript</a> (Online Resource)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1590595335?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=rebasbl-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1590595335">DOM Scripting: Web Design with JavaScript and the Document Object Model</a><img class=" ztjyztsxjfidzcmozwna" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rebasbl-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=1590595335" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1"> - Not JavaScript-specific but a good resource for learning to interact with the DOM</li>
</ul>

<h2>Advanced</h2>

You have a firm grasp of the JavaScript language and now you want to step up your game. These books will help you get the knowledge you need to organize your applications and build maintainable code.

<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/059680279X?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=rebasbl-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=059680279X">High Performance JavaScript (Build Faster Web Application Interfaces)</a><img class=" ztjyztsxjfidzcmozwna" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rebasbl-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=059680279X" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1">
</li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1847194141?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=rebasbl-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1847194141">Object-Oriented JavaScript: Create scalable, reusable high-quality JavaScript applications and libraries</a><img class=" ztjyztsxjfidzcmozwna" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rebasbl-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=1847194141" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1"></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0596806752?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=rebasbl-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0596806752">JavaScript Patterns</a><img class=" ztjyztsxjfidzcmozwna" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rebasbl-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0596806752" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1"></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1934356670?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=rebasbl-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1934356670">Pragmatic Guide to JavaScript</a><img class=" ztjyztsxjfidzcmozwna" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rebasbl-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=1934356670" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1"></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1590597273?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=rebasbl-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1590597273">Pro JavaScript Techniques</a><img class=" ztjyztsxjfidzcmozwna" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rebasbl-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=1590597273" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1"></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/193398869X?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=rebasbl-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=193398869X">Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja</a><img class=" ztjyztsxjfidzcmozwna" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rebasbl-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=193398869X" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1"></li></ul>

<h2>God Mode Reading</h2>

As <a href="http://qfox.nl/">Peter van der Zee</a> likes to call it <em>"godmode; the actual specification"</em>. Want some deep reading and know every nook and cranny of the language. Here ya go:

<ul>
	<li><a href="http://www.ecma-international.org/publications/files/ECMA-ST-ARCH/ECMA-262,%203rd%20edition,%20December%201999.pdf">Standard ECMA-262 ECMAScript Language Specification 3rd edition (December 1999) - <strong>PDF File</strong></a> - This is what's widely supported in all major browsers
</li>
	<li><a href="http://www.ecma-international.org/publications/standards/Ecma-262.htm">Standard ECMA-262 ECMAScript Language Specification 5th edition (December 2009)</a> - This is what all major browser vendors are working to implement</li>

</ul>

<h2>Blogs</h2>

<ul>
	<li><a href="http://scriptJunkie.com">ScriptJunkie.com</a> - I'm a little biased on this one because I manage this site but I work hard to get really good content about JavaScript as well as HTML & CSS</li>
 <li><a href="http://jsmentors.com/">JSmentors.com</a> - the JavaScript mailing list I started with <a href="http://twitter.com/abozhilov">Asen Bozhilov</a> which provides a safe, professional place to discuss JavaScript and learn from the best</li>
	<li><a href="http://dailyjs.com/">DailyJS</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://badassjs.com/">BadassJS</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://developer.yahoo.com/yui/theater/">YUI Theatre</a> - Tons of videos on JavaScript-related topics</li>
	<li><a href="http://ejohn.org/category/blog/">John Resig</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://qfox.nl/weblog">Peter van der Zee</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://michaux.ca/">Peter Michaux</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jsmentors.com/Garrett-Smith.html">Garrett Smith</a></li>
					    <li><a href="http://jsmentors.com/Juriy-Zaytsev.html">Juriy Zaytsev a.k.a. kangax</a></li>
					    <li><a href="http://jsmentors.com/Dmitry-A-Soshnikov.html">Dmitry A. Soshnikov</a></li>
					    <li><a href="http://jsmentors.com/Steven-Levithan.html">Steven Levithan</a></li>					    
					    <li><a href="http://jsmentors.com/John-David-Dalton.html">John-David Dalton</a></li>
					    <li><a href="http://jsmentors.com/Stoyan-Stefanov.html">Stoyan Stefanov</a></li>
					    <li><a href="http://jsmentors.com/Benjamin-Rosseaux.html">Benjamin Rosseaux a.k.a. BeRo</a></li>
					    <li><a href="http://jsmentors.com/Diego-Perini.html">Diego Perini</a></li>
					    <li><a href="http://jsmentors.com/Angus-Croll.html">Angus Croll</a></li>
					    <li><a href="http://jsmentors.com/Peter-van-der-Zee.html">Peter van der Zee</a></li>
					    <li><a href="http://jsmentors.com/Christian-C-Salvado.html">Christian C. Salvadó</a></li>
					    <li><a href=http://jsmentors.com/"Christophe-Porteneuve.html">Christophe Porteneuve</a></li>
					    <li><a href="http://jsmentors.com/Nicholas-C-Zakas.html">Nicholas C. Zakas</a></li>
					    <li><a href="http://jsmentors.com/David-Flanagan.html">David Flanagan</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/reybango/zSyW">Rey Bango</a> - That's me! Here's my feed URL. Subscribe!</li>

</ul>



<h2>What if *I* had to Choose Just 3 Books</h2>

If I had to choose just three books to have in my stash, I'd go with the following:

<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/047022780X?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=rebasbl-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=047022780X">Professional JavaScript for Web Developers (Wrox Programmer to Programmer)</a><img class=" ztjyztsxjfidzcmozwna" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rebasbl-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=047022780X" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1"></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1847194141?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=rebasbl-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1847194141">Object-Oriented JavaScript: Create scalable, reusable high-quality JavaScript applications and libraries</a><img class=" ztjyztsxjfidzcmozwna" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rebasbl-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=1847194141" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1"></li>
<li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0596806752?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=rebasbl-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0596806752">JavaScript Patterns</a><img class=" ztjyztsxjfidzcmozwna" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rebasbl-20&amp;l=as2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0596806752" alt="" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" border="0" height="1" width="1"></li>
</ul>

Some may disagree with me on this but I've personally found each one of these books incredibly valuable. Professional JavaScript for Web Developers is a complete reference and covers EVERYTHING. All developers need a book like this. The book on Object-Oriented JavaScript is great to give you an understanding of leveraging one of the best features in JavaScript. Once you get past the basics, you're going to want to identify key coding practices that make your code better and more maintainable. JavaScript Patterns helps you do that.

What would you guys choose?


