If you're new to PHP - this book is for you.

After only 2 days, I was coding PHP while glancing back at this quick-start guide for help. In a week, I was writing my own first simple application in PHP.

I've read plenty of PHP books by now, but this is book is the one I always return to for a reference.

Overall, this book is the fastest solid PHP foundation you'll find - assuming you're lazy like me and prefer to learn visually instead of plowing through endless code.

A quickstart for beginners AND intermediates.

     This book was easy to read and learn from. The author not only shows you what to do, but WHY you should do it. I had some previous background in programming other languages and this book moved along quick enough where I, as an intermediate, didn't get bored, yet I could see that a beginner was given enough information to keep up and understand everything too. It was a perfect balance. I now feel confident in my PHP skills and could for sure start making extensive sites by combining all of the topics covered in the book. I can also see that this book will be a great reference in the future as the index worked great as I was learning and referring back to sections.

Simple, Fast, & Effective : Best Beginner's Book Ever

     Excellant reference for commands, but if you decide to get serious, step up to a $(dollar amount) book.

If you're a checking it out, just starting out, struggling, or a student - A must buy.

The average programmer can get up to speed with PHP using this book extremenly fast. (1-3 Weeks)

Short chapters without 'fluff' makes for fast reading. I read the first 50 pages in seating.