Rating: 
Summary: Invaluable, but very annoying as a reference
Review: There are some great things about this book. The information is accurate, detailed, clear, and concise. However, there are too many places where a clear expository style is badly needed. One example of several (see other reviews here for other examples): if you already know what the m// operator does, and how to combine it with =~, you are OK; but if you don't know, there is no easy way to figure it out. Here's what you have to do.First you go to chapter 3, the function reference, and see in the category listing on p.143 that there is a pattern matching function called m//. The alphabetical listing doesn't have it, however. If you're lucky, you notice that they've listed it under // instead of m//, and you are referred from there to a section of chapter 2 called regular expressions (p. 58). But the first mention of m// is on p.66, 8 pages later. What's more, the first example is: /(\w+)\s*=\s*\1/; which doesn't show the m// notation (which is how it's indexed, after all), and doesn't show the =~ notation because it makes use of $_ without saying so. If instead you look up =~ in the index, you are sent to p.80, which assumes you already know about m//, s/// and the fact that m// is //. The definition is "Binary =~ binds a scalar expression to a pattern match[. . .].". This is not very helpful if you're looking it up because you haven't used it before (and only newbies are *going* to look up m// in the first place). So an example would be nice, something simple like: $fred = "abcd"; if ($fred =~ m/bc/) { print "matched!\n"; } but instead they jump into fine points. I repeat, a great book, and a compulsory purchase if you are serious about Perl. But it will drive you crazy while you're learning.
Rating:
Summary: Top perl book, but...
Review: This is a five star book, but for the annoyances. The examples are very instructive, but they're badly commented. They rely on an understanding of things that come later, and in at least one case, one of them relied on a syntactic feature that isn't even mentioned in the book. Only by going to the bookstore and flipping through the Perl Cookbook did I find an example that explained this weird syntax. So it helps to be a little obsessive-compulsive. [for reference, it is the "1 while..." statement] There are many cases where important effects of language elements were hidden off in other "fine print" sections, when they could have elegantly placed them in the definitions. Again, this is the book you want for Perl, and everyone knows it's a hairy language, but it's not that incomprehensible to document it clearly. There may be little grottoes in the language, fine, but they could be listed in a good place. I actually like examples that draw on future knowledge, but with all the other time-consuming things, it stops being useful.
Rating: 
Summary: Depends on your learning style, but overall a GREAT book!
Review: I have read well over 50 reviews of this book, and while many seem to think that the book is great, both as a reference book and/or a book to learn Perl, there are a large number who also think that it does not make a good reference book, or that it isn't written well at all. I think that it really depends on your learning style, and your preivous experience with programming and computers in general (especially Unix). One thing that seems to be the trend almost everwhere, which I agree with, is that this is not a very good book to learn perl with, if you have no idea what it is, or if you haven't had previous experience with other programming languages. A book better suited for this introductory task is one such as Learning Perl (the 'Llama Book') or one of the other 'tutorial' type books. However, the Camel book IS well suited as a reference book, and I also enjoy just opening the book in the middle somewhere, and starting to read. I almost always learn some little trick or useful technique within the first few pages that I read, some of which solve a problem which I may be working on, and some I store away and am glad later on when something comes up and I can think "Oh yeah...to do this you just do this and that..." Plus if I don't remember, out comes the book again...at least I know it's in there somewhere, even if the index isn't perfect :-) If I had to sum it up in two words, they would be the same as many other readers: GET IT!
Rating:
Summary: An excellent book. You don't need anything else.
Review: An excellent reference book. I've read other books but none are as good as this one.
Rating:
Summary: Programming Perl for Web Use?
Review: I'm come from a heavy ASP background, and as I've started learning the Linux OS, Perl appeared as something good to learn. Hearing the "Camel" book was the best, I went and got it. My thoughts: Its a terriffic Perl scripting reference!!! BUT, for those of you who want to learn Perl for dynamic web page authoring, this may not be the book you want. It's written much more from a Unix admin standpoint, using Perl for automation, and report generation. It does little special to help you with common dynamic web page tasks. Eg. No section on connecting to ODBC data sources for database publication, etc...
Rating: 
Summary: Only for the already initiated.
Review: This book: * Skips clear examples of how to do the most basic, common things in favor of examples that illustrate more complex arcana. * Has an index that does not direct the reader to the principal entry on any given topic. * Has a table of contents that lists general categories but not the subtopics one most wants to find. * Has chapters entitled "The Gory Details" and "Other Oddments", possibly betraying a lack of confidence on the part of the authors that they can explain things clearly and interestingly. An example of how poorly organized this book is: The index entry "opening, files" does not direct the reader to the section on the open function nor to any general discussion of how files may be opened or closed.
Rating:
Summary: The worst programming book I know of.
Review: The only use for this book is if you -already- know perl well, and you want to read entertaining insights in a somewhat random order about miscellaneous topics. Do -not- get this book if you are new to perl, or if you have specific problems to solve, or things you want to do. For example, two common questions might be, "How do I write a class?" or "How do I write a constructor?" You won't find the answer clearly spelled out anywhere. You must persevere through pages of humorous text with side excursions and nebulous warnings before coming to the final explanation. Ditto for many other language features or common questions.
Rating:
Summary: better than the last version
Review: I bought this book and have been very satisfied with it. It has a reference section for perl functions which is very useful and missing in the previous version.
Rating:
Summary: excellent reference
Review: this is the book to buy after you purchase learning perl. then either get the pocket handbook and/or cookbook. this book is more of a big reference, not a book that shows you how to program in perl.
Rating:
Summary: Chapter 3 alone would be worth the cost!
Review: The must have Perl resource. It was written by the the creator of Perl for goodness sake! Offers thorough reference to Perl's rich set of text manipulation features. Not a tutorial but more of a intermediate/expert reference manual. Get Learning Perl(Camel Book) and this book. You will be a perl hacker in no time flat!
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