A career in web development can be incredibly fun and rewarding. Tons of online courses and tutorials teach you the basics of web development and advanced topics like Python, Django, Angular, node.js, Java, relational databases, and typography.
However, there’s nothing better than having a tangible book on web development you can refer to whenever necessary.
Whether you want to embark on a full-stack web development book for beginners, refresh your knowledge on a particular web development aspect, or expand your web development knowledge, you can find a book that meets your needs.
To help you find the perfect book, we’re going to show you the top 11 web development books that will help you learn web development in 2022.
Table Of Contents
- The 11 Best Books for Web Development
- 1. Web Design With HTML, CSS, JavaScript and jQuery Set
- 2. JavaScript: The Definitive Guide
- 3. Eloquent JavaScript
- 4. Learn JavaScript VISUALLY With Interactive Exercises
- 5. Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja
- 6. Road To React: Your Journey To Master React.js in JavaScript
- 7. Fullstack Vue: The Complete Guide to Vue.js
- 8. Learning PHP, MySQL & JavaScript: With jQuery, CSS & HTML5
- 9. PHP and MySQL for Dynamic Web Sites: Visual QuickPro Guide
- 10. PHP Objects, Patterns, and Practice
- 11. Don’t Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability
The 11 Best Books for Web Development
Below, you’ll find the best web development books on Amazon to learn web development, expand your web development knowledge, start your web developer career, or improve your web design business.
1. Web Design With HTML, CSS, JavaScript and jQuery Set
The first title on the list is a set of books by Jon Duckett. These two books are top-rated and with good reason. They cover everything from the basics down to the more advanced web development topics and responsive web design.
On top of that, they feature beautiful illustrations to make learning web design more enjoyable. The HTML and CSS book covers structure, tables, forms, styling with CSS3, box model, and even SEO.
The JavaScript and jQuery web development book offers a great introduction to both topics with plenty of diagrams and infographics. This set is a perfect choice if you’re just getting started in web development.
2. JavaScript: The Definitive Guide
Another favorite of many people, JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, is the perfect companion if you want to learn JavaScript. This web development book is suitable for beginners and more advanced users who want to go beyond the basics and become pro JavaScript programmers.
This book has been a best-seller for over seven years, and the latest edition covers the 2020 version of JavaScript. The newly added chapters cover classes, modules, iterators, generators, promises, async/await, and metaprogramming.
It also offers plenty of coding examples, making it a suitable coding book for your practice needs. The book is available in paperback and Kindle editions.
3. Eloquent JavaScript
Eloquent JavaScript by Marijn Haverbeke is another best-selling JavaScript book. The best part about this web development book is that you can get it in Kindle or paperback format or read the online version for free.
The book is up to date with recent JavaScript features, and it teaches you JavaScript through practical guides and projects. By the end of this book, you’ll walk away with hands-on experience on tasks like artificial life simulation, a simple programming language, and a paint program. The book is suitable for beginners.
4. Learn JavaScript VISUALLY With Interactive Exercises
If you’re looking for a more visual approach to learning, this web development book won’t disappoint. As the name implies, it includes loads of interactive exercises that work beautifully on computers and tablets. You’ll also find metaphors, analogies, and illustrations to help you understand the basics of JavaScript.
It covers how to read and understand JavaScript, the JavaScript syntax, the basics of object-oriented programming, and the essential programming concepts in JavaScript.
Learn JavaScript VISUALLY is one of the best books for web development suited for beginners or those who have tried programming before and found it tedious or difficult to follow. If you can recognize yourself in those statements, give this book a try. It’s available on Kindle, as a paperback, or a hardcover edition.
5. Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja
The previous books on this list will get you up to speed with JavaScript. But if you want to become a pro, you’ll need to go beyond the basics and master the critical JavaScript concepts.
As such, this book is one of the best books for web development suited for those who are already familiar with JavaScript and want to take their knowledge further.
The book covers topics such as functions, closures, objects, prototypes, and promises. You’ll also find chapters on APIs such as the DOM, events, and timers. By the end of this book, you’ll learn how to avoid the most common JavaScript pitfalls, write your code more succinctly, and manage asynchronous code.
6. Road To React: Your Journey To Master React.js in JavaScript
If you’re a more experienced developer looking to dip your toes into JavaScript frameworks, the Road To React is a great book choice out of the available developer books.
This fantastic book will have you build a full-blown web application using React.js. In the process, you’ll learn about the fundamentals of React.js with Hooks.
In addition, the book also covers advanced feature implementations like client- and server-side searching and other related topics such as testing and performance optimizations.
7. Fullstack Vue: The Complete Guide to Vue.js
Vue is another popular JavaScript framework. It’s suited for intermediate and advanced users who have the basics of JavaScript down.
The book promises to help you master the entire Vue framework, give you solid foundations, and explain best practices for working with JavaScript frameworks.
Moreover, it’s full of practical examples and exercises that cover every aspect of the Vue framework. By the end of the book, you’ll know how to build a persistent shopping cart, develop a calendar app, validate forms, and more.
8. Learning PHP, MySQL & JavaScript: With jQuery, CSS & HTML5
This web development book helps you dive into back-end programming and work on data-driven websites and web apps. It’s more geared towards seasoned front-end developers and software developers than absolute beginners without any experience in software development.
This jQuery book covers the basics and goes more in-depth into how different programming languages interact to create a powerful, data-driven website or application.
The book offers a hands-on approach that will have you work on a social networking website available on desktop and mobile devices.
You’ll learn how to create dynamic web pages that change based on user information and how to use cookies maintain high-security levels, master user experience (UX) design, and general design principles.
9. PHP and MySQL for Dynamic Web Sites: Visual QuickPro Guide
This is one of the best books for web development designed for any intermediate developer who wants to work on their server-side programming language skills. The book offers a plethora of demonstrations and real-world examples to help you learn PHP and MySQL web development.
The author covers core issues associated with server-side programming and advanced topics such as security, session management, and object-oriented programming techniques.
The book is available in paperback and Kindle editions and includes a detailed reference guide you can use to refresh your knowledge for years to come.
10. PHP Objects, Patterns, and Practice
PHP Objects, Patterns, and Practice is one of the best books for web development to take your PHP programming to the next level. It’s been fully updated and revised for PHP 8 and covers advanced topics like attributes, constructor property promotion, new arguments, and return pseudo-types.
This web development book starts with object-oriented programming concepts and then progresses into design patterns and tools that will help you turn your code into a successful project. It’s geared towards experienced developers, and it’s available in Kindle and paperback format.
11. Don’t Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability
While Don’t Make Me Think, Revisited by Steve Krug isn’t a programming book per se, it does shine a light on standard concepts of web usability that go hand in hand with good web development practices.
This is one of the best books for web development that offers a no-nonsense approach to web usability by covering the basic principles of intuitive navigation and information design. The new edition also covers mobile usability best practices.
It’s available in paperback and Kindle editions, and it offers plenty of examples and beautiful illustrations that make this book a joy to read.
Learn About Web Development and Start Building Great Websites
As you can see, there is no shortage of great books covering various aspects of web development and suitable for all experience levels. The only thing left to do now is to add some of the best books for web development we’ve found to your library and get to learning.
After you do, don’t forget to put your newly acquired development knowledge to good use in WordPress together with Elementor.
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