Outstanding REFERENCE

This book is an outstanding Perl REFERENCE.

It's perfect for those times when you need something done in Perl but can't recall the syntax, semantics or parameters of some construct or function, or just when looking for a way to do something. I use it daily when writing in Perl, preferring it over perldoc and half a bookshelf of other Perl books that I have access to - it's that much better.

It's not a "tutorial", though, and it's not "for dummies". While you can certainly learn Perl from scratch using just this volume, I would advise against that if you're a TOTAL programming beginner. There are better "tutorial" books out there, get one of those and then get this as a reference. If you're a programmer already proficient in some other language, you won't have much of a problem switching to Perl using just this book.

Pros :
* it's very readable
* goes into considerable detail - mind the page count!
* the explanations are to the point - no useless stories or "cute" stuff
* summary tables are there when they ought to be - easy on the eyes
* it has a very comprehensive index - a must for a reference
* it's original content - not a perldoc rehash like some other books
* for each function there's an additional short summary including scalar/list context return values (love that one!).

Cons :
* it's... big. physically. not very convenient - but the content is well worth it!
* it's slightly dated (it covers Perl 5.6) but that hardly shows as of 5.8
* the more serious problem is that of availability - you can hardly find this book in stores nowadays, no idea why.

In a word, if you're shopping for a Perl reference - this is the book to get.

Other Reviews

• Horrible if you don't already know Perl
• Outstanding REFERENCE
• Far from ideal...
• great information:price ratio