Reader reviews

Excellent from start to finish. No filler, no padding.

I picked this up after getting stuck on a project and it turned out to be exactly the right book at the right time. A few of the examples could be more realistic, but the underlying points come across clearly. The author avoids over-explaining, which keeps the pace up but means you need to pay attention. I have already recommended it to two colleagues and will recommend it to more.

A genuinely enjoyable read that also taught me a great deal.

I read this over a couple of weekends alongside a small side project, which turned out to be the ideal way to approach it. The index and cross-references are surprisingly good, which matters for a book I will come back to. A couple of chapters felt like they could have been merged, but that is a minor complaint. A few of the examples could be more realistic, but the underlying points come across clearly. I have already recommended it to two colleagues and will recommend it to more.

Exactly the book I needed. Straight to the point and genuinely useful.

I bought this on a whim after seeing it mentioned in a forum thread, and I am glad I did. Some of the material is available elsewhere, but rarely presented this clearly. The code samples assume a particular environment, which took a bit of fiddling to get running properly. The writing is direct and does not waste space on filler, which I value in a technical book. One of those books that pays for itself within the first few chapters. Highly recommended.

Good book. The writing is direct and the author is honest about limits.

A colleague recommended this and I can see why. It does something that few technical books manage: it respects the reader's time. The exercises at the end of each chapter are worth doing — they caught a few misconceptions I did not know I had. The explanations are careful without being condescending, which is a difficult balance to strike. The index and cross-references are surprisingly good, which matters for a book I will come back to. Recommended, with the caveat that it is not a gentle introduction.

I have read a lot of books on this subject and this is the clearest.

I was looking for something that would bridge the gap between tutorials and proper reference material, and this does that well. The code samples assume a particular environment, which took a bit of fiddling to get running properly. Some terminology is introduced without much ceremony; I had to look a few things up along the way. One of those books that pays for itself within the first few chapters. Highly recommended.