Rating: 
Summary: I learned a lot from this book
Review: I bought this book for my job. I had programmed in C/C++ but never in Perl. This book got me up in running within 25 pages! The book explains things very well. The author writes in a manner that is not confusing, which is a huge bonus when reading programming books. I gave this book such a high mark not because I am a Perl junkie, but because it taught me how to write programs quickly, which is why I bought the book.
Rating: 
Summary: A Reference, Not a Tutorial
Review: Not a beginner's book by any stretch of the imagination, it is the definitive reference written by the author of Perl. Everything you need to know about Perl is here, but you may have some trouble finding what you need. While it does a good job of covering the new features of Perl 5, this comes at the expense of explanation of some of the more basic features. In an effort to be complete, the authors have sacrificed some clarity. Still an essential part of any Perl programmer's library, but not the only book you'll want especially if you're just starting out in Perl. Beginners will still want to check out Learning Perl by Schwartz before tackling this one.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent reference but sometimes lacking
Review: This is my preferred reference for Perl but sometimes it can behard to find what I'm looking for. The examples are good but notalways complete. At least it is written with some humor andpersonality....
Rating: 
Summary: Get the Original Camel Book
Review: The fabulous reputation of the ``Camel Book'' was earned by the first edition, which covered Perl 4. The new edition has many good qualities, but doesn't begin to measure up to the original.Why? The original camel book reads like a novel. It explains not just Perl, but also the spirit of UNIX programming and a lot of the science of software engineering. The original ``Programming Perl'' is the only book you need to become a most magnificent Perl hacker. The new edition has grown into an encyclopedia. You can still see sparks of the original magic, but somehow it isn't the same. But don't you need the latest version? NO! The new Perl 5 features are explained really well in the man pages ``perltoot'', ``perlref'' and ``perlobj''. They are surprisingly excellent man pages. Also, the Perl Cookbook has great examples, and Lincoln Stein's documents for CGI.pm explain the web side superbly. So here's my advice. Buy the original Camel Book, not this one. Supplement it with the man pages I mentioned above. You'll be SO glad you did.
Rating:
Summary: The Definitive Reference
Review: A great mix of practical examples, complete reference, and humor, this books is truly excellent. With this book alone, I learned enough Perl in a week to write very complex scripts. I am confident that anyone with a solid knowledge of structured languages could easily do so as well.
Rating:
Summary: Perl Programmer? Buy this. Point blank.
Review: First off, If you want to be a Perl Programer, you _MUST_ own this. Thats a point blank statement. As many of the other reviews may argue, its either for or not for beginners. They are both right. The book is not designed to teach, but to explain. Its a reference book that is superb, especially when it comes to the things that you need every day, but forget (the arguments to a particular function, for example, or certainly various characters on regular expressions). My first edition was dog eared. This edition I had to bind, because the cover fell off. (I actually own two, one for work one for home). Its lacking some of the humor, but thats to be expected when you expand a topic. My biggest complaint is that you really need to buy both the Cookbook and Programming Perl. Any Perl programmer worth his salt owns the "Camel" book, and its so vaery rarely in good shape.
Rating:
Summary: Web developer looking to use Perl? Great place to start...
Review: I can't say what the "Learning Perl" book is like, but if you can program in any language at all, this book is a great resource for you. Any programmer can instantly get on his feet. I develop web pages and needed to start using cgi scripts. In 5 minutes I knew everything I needed to know. Perl is like a cross between UNIX shell and C. Web developers should really get this book!
Rating:
Summary: This book rocks!
Review: AWESOME! It seems like numerous people have their vote for the best classic programming book (Stroustrup, Kernighan & Ritchie, etc.). This gets mine, hands down. The level of detail and simultaneous clarity of explanation are unsurpassed. I would recommend this to anyone, from experienced programmers to those who have no experience at all. The fact that the book is about Perl helps, of course, as an accessible language is easiest to write about. Perl is a tremendously powerful language, and this book is the best book to buy on the subject. I can think of no excuse for not buying it, other than the fact that you already own it.
Rating:
Summary: I Agree - Not For Beginners
Review: I agree with the previous reviewer - this book is not for someone without previous exposure to Perl. I'll keep it on my shelf, nice and handy for future projects, but I'm looking elsewhere for a more rudimentary introduction.
Rating:
Summary: OK for experts; Bad for beginners
Review: I have been a Perl programmer for the last two years and I thought now is a good time to buy a reference book in Perl. Obviously my choice was "Learning Perl" by Larry Wall. Content is good, as a reference it is excellent, as a study book it is weak and it is not at all good for the beginners. At some places you may feel the language need not be this artistic. I wished that the book contained more examples and a little more detail on how to use PERL functions. I have been looking into various Perl books which are good for people good in Perl (some sort of reference + as a study book). One book which is worth mentioning is Perl Black Book. If you wish to buy only one book in PERL -- The "Perl Black Book" is the best one. It starts from the basics.. have enough examples, goes into details about everything and does not miss out anything.
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