Searching for the Best Web Development Books to learn the basics of web development? In that case, we have prepared a handpicked list of the best web development books for you.
Everyone prefers to learn from a video or audio presentation in this digital era. However, there are a few people who still prefer books over online learning. You might be looking for web development books to learn basic and advanced topics such as Java, Python, Django, typography, and relational databases.
That’s why we have brought you this list of the 14 best web development books. We have selected these books because they can help you learn all the basics of web development and take your web development career to the next level.
So let’s get into the list right away.
The 14+ Best Web Development Books (2024)
Here is the list of the 14 best web development books that you should give a try.
| Book | Author |
| Eloquent JavaScript | Marijn Haverbeke |
| Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja | John Resig Bear Bibeault Josip Maras |
| Web Design with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and jQuery Set | Jon Duckett |
| Learn JavaScript With Interactive Exercises Visually | Ivelin Demirov |
| JavaScript: The Definitive Guide | David Flanagan |
| Fullstack Vue: The Complete Guide to Vue.js | Hassan Djirdeh Nate Murray Ari Lerner |
| PHP and MySQL for Dynamic Web Sites | Larry Ullman |
| Don’t Make Me Think Revisited | Steve Krug |
| The Road To React | Robin Wieruch |
| Learning PHP, MySQL & JavaScript | Robin Nixon |
| PHP Objects, Patterns, and Practice | Matt Zandstra |
| You Don’t Know JS Yet | Kyle Simpson |
| Coding All-in-One By Nikhil Abraham | Nikhil Abraham |
| Full Stack Web Development For Beginners: Learn Ecommerce Web Development Using HTML5, CSS3, Bootstrap, JavaScript, MySQL, and PHP | Riaz Ahmed |
Now that we have seen the overview, let us take an in-depth look at each of our picks.
1. Eloquent JavaScript
Marijn Haverbeke wrote Eloquent Javascript is one of the best-selling JavaScript books. This book is also available online for free, which means you can directly download it on Kindle and learn all the basics & advanced techniques of programming.
In this book, you will get all the recent JavaScript projects and practical guides, and this book is also up-to-date with the latest JavaScript features. This book is best for those who are just starting their web-development journey. You can learn a programming language, artificial life simulation, and a painting program with this book.
2. Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja
If you want to master JavaScript concepts, then this book is right for you. This book does not teach the basics, so don’t choose this book if you’re a beginner. With this book, you can gain advanced knowledge on JavaScript so buy this book once you are familiar with the basic concepts of JavaScript.
In this book, you’ll learn topics like closures, prototypes, promises, functions, and objects. You can also learn API because it has chapters like events, timers, and DOM. After finishing the book, you’ll learn to write your code more efficiently, manage asynchronous code, and avoid the most common JavaScript mistakes.
3. Web Design with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and jQuery Set
It is a set of two books, and Jon Duckett wrote them. These books are the best in the industry because these books include all the basics and advanced web development topics. You can also learn about responsive web design. These books also have unique illustrations in them so that you don’t get bored while studying them.
You will learn styling with CSS3, structure, forms, box model, SEO, and tables from the HTML and CSS book. The JavaScript and jQuery book introduced many topics and illustrations. These illustrations include infographics and diagrams. So these books are perfect for those who are just beginners in web development.
4. Learn JavaScript With Interactive Exercises Visually
If you want to follow a more practical visual approach to learning web development, then this book is excellent for you. This book includes many interactive exercises that you can implement on your tablets or computers. To help you understand the basics, this book offers analogies, illustrations, and metaphors.
With this book, you can learn the JavaScript syntax, essential programming concepts of JavaScript, how to understand and read JavaScript, and basic object-oriented programming. If you find programming hard and tedious, then read this book, and it will change your perspective towards programming completely.
5. JavaScript: The Definitive Guide
This is one of the favorite books of web developers because it helped most of them in learning JavaScript. This book is best for beginners and pros alike who want to take their programming skills to the next level. This is the only book in JavaScript that has been the best-selling book for seven consecutive years.
The latest edition of this book came out in 2020. In this latest edition, you can find chapters like iterators, promises, classes, modules, metaprogramming, generators, and async/await. It also includes many practical examples which you can try out on your system.
6. Fullstack Vue: The Complete Guide to Vue.js
Vue is one of the famous JavaScript frameworks. If you are familiar with JavaScript basics and want to master JavaScript, then this book can be a good option for you. With this book, you will learn the Vue framework, and you will be able to apply the practical illustrations of JavaScript.
The book is full of examples and illustrations related to Vue Framework. After finishing the book, you will be able to develop a calendar app, build a shopping cart, validate forms, and so much more.
7. PHP and MySQL for Dynamic Web Sites
If you want to work on your server-side programming language skills, then this book is the right choice for you. This book is one of the best books on web development because it is filled with real-life examples. With these examples and demonstrations, you can learn to apply PHP and MySQL in a better way.
This book covers advanced topics such as session management, object-oriented programming, and security. You can also get Kindle and Paperback editions of this book.
8. Don’t Make Me Think Revisited
Steve Krug wrote Don’t Make Me Think, which is not a programming book, but it does include some basic & standard concepts of web development that you can apply to your practices. This book is straightforward and to the point. It explains all the basic principles of information design and intuitive navigation.
This book is an absolute joy to read because it is filled with illustrations and examples that everyone will love. You can also get the Kindle and Paperback editions of this book.
9. The Road To React
This book is for experienced web developers who want to know more about JavaScript frameworks. With this book, you can learn to create a fully functional web application using React.js.
This book also teaches you all the fundamentals of React.js. After finishing the book, you will learn about testing, advanced implementation features such as server-side and client searching, and performance optimization.
10. Learning PHP, MySQL & JavaScript
If you want to learn about back-end programming, then this book is a good option for you. If you are a beginner and don’t have any knowledge, then we won’t recommend you this book because it is for experienced software and front-end developers. This book covers all the basics and in-depth knowledge of programming languages.
The book includes practical approaches to working on social networking websites available on mobile and desktop. After finishing the book, you will have good knowledge of general design principles, how to create dynamic pages based on user information, user experience design, and more.
11. PHP Objects, Patterns, and Practice
If you want to take your PHP programming skills to the next level, then this book is the right choice for you. The latest edition of the book is changed according to PHP 8, and it includes more advanced topics such as new arguments, constructor property promotion, attributes, return pseudo-types, and more.
In this web development book, you will learn about object-oriented programming, design patterns, and more. This book is also available in Paperback and Kindle format.
12. You Don’t Know JS Yet
Kyle Simpson is the writer of the “You Don’t Know JS Yet” book series. He created six small books, each covering a different topic. If you want to learn Java Script as a beginner, then this book series is the best way to go. Everything related to JavaScipt has been explained properly, so you can easily understand and follow it.
The best part about this book series is that you can find it on GitHub for free. You can get access to the PDF version of this book series there. However, if you want to purchase its physical copy, then you can do it from Amazon.
13. Coding All-in-One By Nikhil Abraham
If you are a beginner and don’t know anything about coding, then this is the one book you should be purchasing among all the mentions on the list. It is more affordable than most of the books, and it is also a mixture of nine books in one. This book covers everything from the fundamentals of coding to creating paths toward a career in web development.
This book will teach topics like HTML & CSS, Coding Career Paths, Machine Learning Basics, JavaScript, jQuery, Bootstrap, Data Analysis with Python, and so on. You can take references from the book whenever you want; even if you are a professional web developer, this book will have the answer for you.
14. Full Stack Web Development For Beginners: Learn Ecommerce Web Development Using HTML5, CSS3, Bootstrap, JavaScript, MySQL, and PHP by Riaz Ahmed
This book is best for beginners who want to become full stack web application developers. To learn or to create modern data driven web application you must know or have basic knowledge about CSS3, HTML5, PHP, JavaScript, Bootstrap and MySQL. These concepts cant be done overnight, you will need to give proper time and efforts in order to master it. It is a very vast topic and can be complicated if not paid proper attention or worked hard for it. This book written by Riaz Ahmed will help you understand complex problems in a more simpler way, be it with new technology, this book will help you the best way possible to become a full – stack developer.
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Conclusion: Best Web Development Books (2024)
Now you know that there is no lack of books on web development in the market covering all the basic and advanced topics. You have to look hard to find the one you’re looking for. You can easily find the book you want to kick-start your web development journey with this list. So what are you waiting for!!
