Comments about O'Reilly Media Supercharged JavaScript Graphics:

I read this book as part of the O'Reilly Blogger Review Program, and really enjoyed it!

It is a fast paced book that covers a variety of technologies. Not just graphics, varying from DHTML and sprites up to jQuery and Google charts, but also a number of other JavaScript pitfalls and tricks like how to use JavaScript Bitwise operators to convert numbers. A subject I found lacking is SVG.

I would recommend this book if you already have a reasonable skill in JavaScript and want an overview of graphics.

Comments about O'Reilly Media Supercharged JavaScript Graphics:

Supercharged JavaScript Graphics covers many different JavaScript topics, such as, optimization, jQuery, HTML5 canvas, and PhoneGap, as well as others. Within many of these topics there are many sub topics. The book uses examples in many of the areas and builds upon them as it goes.

Raffaele covering the topics and gives examples that make it easier to understand the topics. I found the information understandable and the examples were relatively clear. If you are interested in canvas I would recommend O'Reilly's "HTML5 Canvas" over this book, and for PhoneGap, I would recommend the PhoneGap website and documentation. If you are interested in the other topics, this book does a decent job of covering them but if you want a lot of depth you may need to look for additional information on the topics.

Given some of the topics, parts of the book are groups of somewhat disconnected topics. This makes the book have less flow then a book on a single topic and sometimes makes it more challenging to stay engaged. This kind of distraction affects different readers to different levels, so you should know if this will be an issue for you.

Comments about O'Reilly Media Supercharged JavaScript Graphics:

Supercharged JavaScript Graphics provides an introduction to a number of modern and practical JavaScript topics.

This book is well-written and easy to read, with relevant, practical examples. It covers a wide range of topics, centred around dynamic graphics and game development. Each topic is covered in enough detail to get you started, without getting particularly involved in too many specifics. Presumably if any topic piques your interest you can investigate further.

I found this book to be an easy read and a good introduction to a number of interesting JavaScript topics. The book is particularly relevant for game development with an excellent example of how to develop a complete game with JavaScript and jQuery.

The examples in this book are excellent – well written, well explained, and typically complete and usable. It's obvious that Raffaele knows his craft.

The book also provides an excellent overview of the current state of JavaScript and gives you a good idea of what can currently be accomplished with a pure HTML/CSS/JavaScript solution.

The only addition I would like to see is a section with recommendations for more in-depth information. Overall though this is a good practical introduction to JavaScript graphics.

Note: This book was provided by O'Reilly Media as part of their blogger review program.