Customer Rating: 
Summary: Go LLama: Definitely book to start learning Perl
Comment: This book presents different approach to learning programming language in comparision with "monkey see - monkey do" way of many others on the same subject. Simple explanations, helpful examples - very useful both for starters and as a quick reference for more experienced readers. You learn not only how to solve one particular problem but also what other problems could be solved the best by using Perl - why? where to go next? (to the Camel book )
(most of this could be said about 1st edition as well, probaby only one of them is a "must to have" for learning Perl)
Customer Rating:
Summary: Very little new in this second edition!
Comment: I was disappointed when I received the copy of this book I ordered from Amazon. Despite the publisher's description, the second edition is more or less the same as the first edition, except perhaps a short added chapter on CGI.pm. If you already own the first edition, as I do, it is a waste of money to buy the book. I was hoping to use Randal's help to avoid plowing through the new "Camel" book, but guess I will have to...
I've given it a "10" because it is just as good (since more or less the same!) as the first edition, which was excellent. But, I've returned my copy for a refund. Wish I checked it out in a bookstore before ordering it over the Web. You tend to believe the O'Reilly people, but I guess they are given to as much hype as the next publisher.... ;-(
Customer Rating: 
Summary: 2nd edition not significantly different from 1st edition
Comment: If you already own the 1st edition of this classic and are considering upgrading--don't. Although it claims to have been "significantly reworked for Perl 5", there is only 1 new chapter (brief overview of CGI) and 1 new appendix (listing of standard Perl modules).
The examples and exercises are *identical* to the 1st edition's. I was hoping that they would have been reworked for the O-O architecture of Perl 5 but they weren't. In fact, it lists most of Perl 5's new features in the chapter entitled "Topics We Didn't Mention"!
If you don't already have the 1st edition, I'd highly recommend this book. However if, like me, you already have the 1st edition, don't bother upgrading to the 2nd edition. Better to get Programming Perl instead.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A good book for learning Perl
Comment: I originally learned Perl from
Programming Perl before this book existed. However, "Learning Perl" is actually the better book for Perl beginners to use.
It starts from the ground up with Perl in a series of lessons. Each lesson gets more advanced. By the end of the book, you are writing CGI
scripts in Perl using Object Oriented Perl 5. Amazingly, it does all of this in a relatively thin book. The length is short because the lessons are to the point and clear.
In summary, it is a worthy book to learn Perl from. After finishing this book, you will still need a copy of Programming Perl to use as a more
advanced guide and reference book though.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Randal Schwartz is The Man!
Comment: With the second edition of the justly-famed Llama Book, I have to admit that Randal Schwartz has finally outdone himself. Without a doubt, it is by far the best Perl tutorial I've ever read. Anyone with an interest in system administration, text processing, Web design, or pretty much anything else that can be done with a computer should be required to read either this or the Camel Book. Definitely worth every penny.
P.S. No, I don't work for ORA, although I wish I did. (Hey Randal, can I have my Llama T-shirt now...? :)
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