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Kyle Simpson's books.

His books transformed my understanding of Javascript. He basically bursted into the chest of Javascript, grabbed its beating heart, and then pulled it out and showed me (just like in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom").

His series "You Don't Know JS" gives you a profound understanding of the language. It really teaches you why JS does all of the weird things it does.

I wasted a lot of time by not reading those books earlier.

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Also "Professional Javascript for Web Developers" by Zakas is a pretty classic text too. Gives you a ton of background on Javascript, not as much as Simpson though (but the alternate perspectives are useful). Where this book really helps is by explaining how the browser works. Things like the DOM and "document" and "window" along with the HTML5 APIs aren't Javascript but you need to know them as well.

I second this. Those books are available for free and are worth reading for everyone working with JS. You'll understand about the variety quirks/perks of the language. Best read on JS IMO.

If you wanna learn about the HTML 5 APIs, you should check out html5rocks.

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