NOTE: originally hosted at http://zach.lysobey.com/books-for-a-javascript-developer
You Don’t Know JS (book series)
Free online: https://github.com/getify/You-Dont-Know-JS
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&field-keywords=You%20Don%27t%20Know%20JS
I’m reading this now (on the 3rd book). It does a very thorough deep dive into JS. The author is really good, and I like that the individual books are small and approachable. It does get a bit opinionated at times.
Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-JavaScript-Ninja-John-Resig/dp/1617292850
From the author of JQuery. Very readable, solid examples. Goes deep.
Eloquent JavaScript
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Eloquent-JavaScript-Modern-Introduction-Programming/dp/1593275846
Free Online: http://eloquentjavascript.net/
One of the best introductions to programming/JS I’ve read. Very well put together and the online version has runnable examples. I haven’t made it all the way through this one, but my impression is that introductory chapters are the most valuable
Mostly adequate guide to Functional Programming (in javascript)
Free Online: https://github.com/MostlyAdequate/mostly-adequate-guide
This book isn’t really for beginners. I’ve been tackling this just a little bit at a time for the last 6 months or so. If you want to learn functional programming in JS, this is the best guide I know of.
Clean Code (NOT JS specific)
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Clean-Code-Handbook-Software-Craftsmanship/dp/0132350882
I always recommend this (non-JS-specific) one to people too — definitely the most influential book to my programming style that I’ve read. Might not be super helpful in actually getting a job, but it will definitely make you better at it once you get one.