There's no denying the Ajax buzz at the moment. All of a sudden the future of programming, the next generation web and just about everything in between are going to be down to the Ajax combination of JavaScript, DOM, XML, CSS and backend datastores. Who would have thought it that JavaScript was going to save the world? And for those who are wondering what the fuss is about, 'Ajax In Action' is an ideal initiation and introduction to this brave new world.

This four-part book provides the reader with a complete and thorough guide to all aspects of Ajax, from setting the scene and providing some historical context to an introduction to JavaScript for object oriented programmers to a whole section on live examples. Additionally there's coverage of Ajax frameworks, developers toolsets and more. On sheer coverage alone this is book scores highly.

However, there's much more to it than simple page count or range of topics. The quality of the content is very high. The writing is clear, with good technical content matched by a conversational tone that hits just the right note. The book is a pleasure to read. Furthermore, the content does not stick to simple expositions of this technology or that, it's much more about how the Ajax combination of technologies leads to a sea-change in development without dropping core skills or processes.