Beginning Perl programming covers the basics of Perl: its origin, scalar variables, array variables, associative array variables, flow control, conditional expressions, basic input/output (I/O), advanced I/O, pattern matching, its utilities, filesystem and process control, functions, using modules, and debugging. A GitHub site provides additional support and exercises.

The target audience seems to be someone who needs a quick idea of what Perl is like, possibly in order to do some basic job with it. However, the author is too ambitious and throws in “special” features at the cost of readability and clarity. True, Perl programmers tend to brag with one-liners, maybe good for run-once code. The objective should not be to train obfuscated code contest winners. Despite an attempt to also prepare readers for code written by others, that objective is unlikely to be met by explaining some specialty features that could have been left out.

This is a well-written book, with a consistent level of complexity. It provides a good idea of what Perl is like and how to produce basic small-scale scripts, in line with its title. If your ambition is higher, it may not be the best beginning book on your Perl journey. It is not well suited for an academic course, as it falls short on a foundational level. Finally, the subtitle is incorrect; it does not bring you to a professional level, nor will a professional find it the best book to learn Perl.