jQuery is one of today's most popular JavaScript web application development frameworks and libraries. And while getting started with the tool is easy, sometimes it's not as simple to completely realize the power and automation that it can bring to your development work-and that's especially the case when you're in the middle of a project, up against a deadline.

That's where <em>Practical jQuery</em> comes in. Authors Rod Paddock and John V. Petersen tackle jQuery in the context of a live project, exactly as they teach it in their popular classes, and provide advice and examples that readers can use directly in their own work-with no hand-holding and theoretical discussion. Get a fundamental perspective on how jQuery works, how to understand, select, and even build your own plug-ins, and how to make sure your projects run at the peak of their potential performance.