If you are in need of a review or are jumping into this cookbook with little or no working knowledge of jQuery, this first chapter alone (the other chapters assume you know the basics) will aid you in learning the jQuery essentials. Now, realistically, if you have absolutely zero knowledge of JavaScript and the DOM, you might want to take a step back and ask yourself whether approaching jQuery without a basic understanding of the JavaScript core language and its relationship with the DOM is plausible. It would be my recommendation to study up on the DOM and JavaScript core before approach- ing jQuery. I highly recommend JavaScript: The Definitive Guide by David Flanagan (O’Reilly) as a primer before reading this book. But don’t let my humble opinion stop you if you are attempting to learn jQuery before you learn about the DOM and Java- Script. Many have come to a working knowledge of these technologies by way of jQuery. And while not ideal, let’s face it, it can still be done.