This is simply a recommendation: If you are looking for a guide to interactive data visualization, Scott Murray’s new book (with an impressive pair of tits on the cover) is as good as any.
Its focus is narrow and thorough: D3 and D3 stuff for the absolute beginners. In other words: This is one way of creating bar charts, scatter plots and maps for the web.
It takes you from «Web servers are Internet-connected computers running server software, so called because …» and all the way to «.attr(‘cy’,function(d){return projection([d.lon,d.lat])[1];})» while explaining ALL the steps in between.
It also provides more links to relevant websites books on the subjects.
If you are a savvy programmer who is satisfied if there simply is an API out there somewhere, this is far below you.
If you want to be led by the hand step by step, this is what you are looking for.
So if you are looking for a way into javascript and web programming, this may also serve that purpose.
If you already know HTML/CSS/JavaScript, you may gladly skip half the book. It is still worth buying.
Extra goodie: You may download it in three formats: epub, mobi and pdf – and it is DRM free! Which means that you are not allowed or encouraged to spread it around, but you may – without any hassle – read in on your work computer, your home computer, your tablet, your phone, your Kindle or – heaven forbid – print it on dead trees.
One (very) small complaint: Tech books sometimes use some kind of nerdy humor, multiple references to Star Wars, Star Trek, HTTG or any other realm or namespace of popular culture. This not only breaks the monotony, but also adds to the learning process if the references are good – and you know the namespace. Here, it’s more like a topping of Homer-Simpson-semiquotes. It breaks the monotony, but is neither really adding to the learning process nor very funny.
ps. The tits on the book cover are a pair of long tail tits or bushtits. (Aegithalos caudatus)
Link to the bookstore: http://oreilly.com/shop/product/0636920026938.html
Link to author: Scott Murray / @aligned_left