Hi folks, I got so many answers (Thanks!) that I thought I'd compile them all and send them to the list in case someone needed the info. ****************************************************** A good book on CGI programming can be invaluable. A bad book on CGI programming can be disastrous. I'd recommend Writing CGI Applications with Perl by Addison Wesly or CGI Programming with Perl, Second Edition, by O'Reilly (absolutely do NOT get the first edition of this book!). In general, if you are looking for Perl books, there are a few things that I like to take a look at: 1. Does it use warnings? 2. Does it use strict? 3. Does it use standard modules in preference to "hand-rolled" ones (particularly CGI.pm)? 4. For Web programming, does it use taint checking? (I know it's useful for other types of programming, but I'm pretty much straight CGI). If you answer 'no' to any of the above questions, you should probably introduce the book to your fireplace. There *are* reasons to answer 'no' to those questions, but generally those who avoid strict, warnings, standard modules, and taint checking do so for the wrong reasons. Cheers, Curtis Poe *************************************************************** Personally, I think _Learning Perl_ is really showing its age. It is OK, but better for beginners is Simon Cozens book _Beginning Perl Programming_ from Wrox, which covers more, I found easier to digest, and introduces one to some features that will kickstart future, more advanced development. Then: _Programming Perl_ (the Camel) and _The Perl Cookbook_ (the Ram), both from O'Reilly. I also recommend _Effective Perl Programming_ by Joseph Hall, guest-starring Randall Schwartz. *************************************************************** > The CD Book shelf has just been updated to include the 3rd edition of > "Programming Perl". > Don't let anyone sell you the old edition! Note that Version 2.0 also contains "Perl for System Administration". For more information, see: http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/perlcdbs2/ Contents of CD: + Perl in a Nutshell (both on the CD and on paper) + Programming Perl, 3rd Edition + Perl Cookbook + Advanced Perl Programming + Learning Perl + Learning Perl on Win32 Systems + Perl for System Administration and this as a follow up from : Oreilly, We do have an Upgrade Policy, I'm happy to say. :) You may read about it at http://www.oreilly.com/order/upgrade.html . (http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/pperl3/desc.html) has written: "This third edition of Programming Perl has been expanded to cover version 5.6 of this maturing language. New topics include threading, the compiler, Unicode, and other new features that have been added since the previous edition." You may read more about the book at http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/pperl3/ ************************************************** I would suggest you buy "The Perl CD Bookshelf" from O'Reilly. You get the "Perl in a Nutshell" book which is a good reference to a lot of Perl stuff, and a CD that includes in searchable HTML format: "Perl in a Nutshell" (yes, you get it twice!) "Programming Perl, 2nd Edition" "Perl Cookbook" - handy recipies "Advanced Perl Programming" "Learning Perl, 2nd Edition" "Learning Perl on Win32 Systems" - exactly like the above title but geared for Win32 In the UK this book costs about £42, the US price is $59.95. That means you get each book at $10/£7 a piece! Value for money or what? I also have a couple more O'Reilly books that deal with more specific parts of Perl e.g. "Programming the Perl DBI". Oh, and you should buy (if you want to do CGI) "Official Guide to Programming with CGI.pm" by Lincoln Stein (the creator of CGI.pm) - it covers a lot more than on his web page or in the CGI.pm documentation and should be considered an essential purchase if you are serious about CGI. *************************************************************** I would recommend Learning Perl to get into the language and then Programming Perl and the Perl Cookbook as key references. You will probably want something on CGI or whatever is your particular specialism as well, but these will get you off the ground. **********************************************************
