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I'm writing "D3.js in Action" for diving deep into D3

32 points by elijahmeeks ↗ HN
I'm sure a lot of you are familiar with the JavaScript infoviz library D3. I've been writing a book for Manning that attempts to do a deep dive into D3, which went on Early Access last week, and I just found out it's doing really well. Some people think that D3 is just a charting library, but it actually lets you also create dynamic mapping applications, network visualizations, and complex web interactivity. For someone like me, who's been working with D3 for a couple years, I just assumed everyone was using it, and so while D3.js in Action gives a solid introduction to the library, it also tries to explain the more complicated functionality that goes into all the cool examples you see on d3js.org and elsewhere.

Early Access means you get the chapters as I finish them, so the first three chapters are up and the next three chapters are being edited as we speak. I'm right in the middle of a chapter on "Geospatial Information Visualization" that shows you how to make vector maps, slippy maps and globes with D3, which is some of the most exciting but also complicated functionality.

You can see it at: http://www.manning.com/meeks/ And you can get 50% off with the code 'hnmeeks'

2 comments

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nobleach
Here's my suggestion. If you treat D3 as the author intended, the whole enter/foo/exit thing, you're doing well. If you start in and treat it as jQuery, you're not doing a service. I promise to check out your book as I really love MEAP from manning (and I buy them frequently).

I truly wish you the best. Authoring a book is a tough job.

elijahmeeks
Well, I can guarantee it's not going to be like jQuery, since I'm really not all that familiar with it. The book does deal with the structure of D3 in detail, which you'll see in the chapters that are already up on the MEAP, and then it gets into specifics for creating charts, using layouts, custom events, maps and so on.

And you're right, for those of you thinking of writing one of these books, it is a hell of a time commitment and, on top of that, you have to know something pretty well to be able to make it, but you have to know something inside and out to be able to explain it.