This practical hands-on guide for first-time AJAX users will walk you through building multiple AJAX applications, with each application highlighting a different strength and use of AJAX. Applications include a chess game, an app for refining searches on Amazon/Google/eBay without reloading an entire page and a blog system that uses drag-n-drop features. Throughout the text, the author stresses usability, accessibility, and graceful degradation for older, less-capable web browsers.