Customer Rating:  
Summary: This is for people who have NEVER written code
Comment: I followed the advice from other reviews and bought the book since I am completely new to Perl. The foreword and the odd attempt at humor are terrible, but that is a small detail. What really bugged me is that the author spends so much time on the simplest stuff. You learn that functions that take arguments can do more interesting stuff than functions with no arguments, and you learn what if/else is about. Wow! For anybody who can understand the following:while (i-->0) array[i] = 1; this book is a waste of time. I did learn about Perl, but it could all have been summed up in 30 pages, not 200+. If you have programmed in C before, go for "Programming Perl" instead.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great first Perl book
Comment: This book is perfect for what the title says: Learning Perl. I own this book, the Programming Perl book, and the Advanced Perl book. All three are great for different things. If you've never written a line of Perl before this is the book to get. It will show you how to do most things related to Perl, and will even get you started in CGI and Database access. The authors often point toward valuable web resources like CPAN. In addition, the book is fun to read- not drab and dull like other programming books (this seems to be an O'Reilly thing, and maybe why I buy so many of their books). I've written a lot of Perl code over the last year or so and I still often refer to this book for little things that I forget (like syntax for certain things, etc). This book sees the most use out of the three Perl books I own (although Programming Perl is pretty worn too). Definately a must-have for anyone serious about programming in Perl. Especially if you write in a lot of languages like I do and don't have the brain capacity to memorize every nuance of every language. This book is easy to find information in.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Buy the camel, but read the llama first
Comment: Excellent. I came to this book knowing next to nothing about Perl, and with a few misconceptions to boot (that Perl's syntax is 'write-only', it's primarily a CGI tool, etc.), and now I am not sure that epiphany would cover it. In 12 years of learning and using programming languages, I don't think I have come across anything so enchanting. One of the best parts of the book: the authors. Add Schwartz & Christiansen to Elliotte Rusty Harold, Petzold, and a very few others who are truly effective technical writers. Classic O'Reilly easygoing style, never condescending, and eerily consistent in presenting just the right amount of information on the given topic. Every programmer (even non-Perl ones) should read 'Programming Perl' by Larry Wall. But to learn Perl, and take the first step down a long and magical road, buy this book. I had a few nits, but by the time I finished the book, I had forgotten most of them. As close to 5 stars as I will ever give for a technical book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Really Learning Pearl
Comment: This was the first book I've 'eaten' about Pearl, and I can say that was very nutritive to my mind fundamentally on those snacks on DBM access or CGI programming flavors. In few words it's for sure a book to be recommended, specially ir you've already a eaten some C or C++. ( I shouldn't write books reviews before have taken my lunch...)
Customer Rating:
Summary: For Twice the Price Go Buy The CD With All 6 Books
Comment: If you are serious about learning and using Perl, buy the CD. Go search for it on Amazon- "The Perl CD Bookshelf". Read my review on the CD.Otherwise, this is a solid book for learning Perl. However, some newbies may find it a little too advanced. I would suggest starting with "Perl & Cgi: The Visual Quickstart Guide". It will get you on your feet quickly. Then advance to this book, or the CD, or even both.
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