Kyle Simpson | You dont know Javascript (Episode 24)

If I look over the books on my bookshelf, I can clearly see which of these titles are well loved. Well loved in this sense meaning they are a little worn. Their binding is broken, their pages are tattered, there might even be a spilled drink smear or two. What’s ironic to me is that the most loved of my books often look the least cared for, though honestly the opposite is true.

Scope and Closures (1st ed.) is one of my most loved books. It’s small, but the binding is coming undone. The pages are worn and dog-eared. It’s a bit rumpled. It’s not a book I’ve read once. I’ve picked it up again and again in the many years since it was originally published.

For me, it’s also been a benchmark for my own personal progression through Javascript. When I first read it in 2014, I was familiar with the concepts but the depth of my understanding was admittedly not as deep as the thin volume.

Over the years, even though I wasn’t necessarily feeling my own improvement on a day-to-day basis, each one of the concepts became more approachable. I’d smile to myself, realizing how far I’d come with the help of these guides. It became apparent there was an inverse correlation between how well I treated the book and how much I loved it.

When Kyle asked me to write the Foreword for the 2nd edition, I was floored. It’s not often you’re asked to write about a book that’s been so formative for your own understanding and career, Scope and Closures in particular. I remember the day I first understood closures, the first time I used one well. The satisfaction was great, in part because the symmetry of the idea was compelling to me. Before I even picked this book up, I was already enamoured with closures. And yet, there’s a difference between being able to execute code successfully and fully explore the concepts with any depth. This book took my base understanding and drew it out, helped me master it.

This book is deceptively short. It’s helpful that it’s small because it’s dense with useful knowledge. Since it is compact, I’d suggest you give yourself time to absorb each page. Take your time with it. Treat the book with care, and by that I mean, wear it down.

Sarah Drasner
Head of Developer Experience
Netlify