Rating: 

some parts just read like a printed version of the manpages. and I definitely don't need to buy a book that saves me typing "man x".

especially the chapter about ImageMagick was a major bummer. the functions are covered at a most basic level. severely lacking examples, and the description is far from complete. as a beginner, you might get a nive overview, but no more. and thats something I NEVER EVER bought a ora book for before: to get an _overview_. in-depth hardcore information is what I'm looking for.

this book left a sour taste in my mouth. so if you are searching for toroughly researched information, forget this one. read the man-pages, and be happy with online resources which will offer better information than this book.