THERE are lots of ways to start into learning Perl, the scripting and text-handling language that runs on anything from a Macintosh to a large Unix system (via the PC, Amiga and many more between). For beginners Learning Perl (nicknamed "the Llama book" after its cover design) has provided the clearest and most lucid entry. Beyond the basics, this volume ("the Camel book") is a comprehensive reference.
A book is usually necessary. Perl (practical extraction and reporting language or pathologically eclectic rubbish lister - take your pick) allows fast, powerful programs to be written very succinctly. But it does not make it particularly easy for the beginner to figure out what's going on by gazing at a couple of examples.
This second edition of the Camel book catches up with the development of Perl 5 and provides a complete reference for the language and its syntax. There is plenty of in-depth information on the standard library modules, data structures and the object-oriented features of Perl. The descriptions are clear, but assume a basic familiarity with the language. Also, there are fewer of the worked examples that make the Llama book so easy to start with. This would be the second, rather than the first, book a Perl beginner should buy.
Unusually for any computer book outside the "absolute beginners" sphere there is a sense of fun and a laconic wit through the book that leavens what can otherwise be heavy going.