Perl is not the most popular programming language. It has only one million users, compared to 12 million that use Python. However, it has a lot of great benefits that make it worth learning.
It can be tough to learn Perl if you don’t have a class available or can’t find an online course. Fortunately, there are a lot of great books on Amazon.
The following books are ordered by their Amazon rating from the front page. As an Amazon affiliate, Amazon doesn’t allow us to share the ratings for some reason. However, these are the most popular books if you want to learn to program in Perl.
Learning Perl
This book by Randal Schwartz is a great primer for anyone trying to learn to program in Perl. The authors have been teaching Perl for 33 years and this book covers the same course model they follow.
Perl Pocket Reference: Programming Tools
This is another great book from O’Reilly Media. It has a lot of great resources for anyone that is interested in getting to know this powerful programming language. The authors cover all the basics, from using variables to mastering the fundamentals of object-oriented programming.
Perl Cookbook: Solutions & Examples for Perl Programmers
This is yet another great Perl book from O’Reilly Media. It covers everything from defining variables to screen addressing and secure scripting. It is overall one of the best books on the topic and has been updated for Perl 5.8.
Modern Perl
Modern Perl is a great book by The Pragmatic Programmers. It covers a wide range of topics for people trying to create code that is proven to work and easy to maintain.
Network Programming with Perl
Network Programming with Perl is a great book by Lincoln Stein. It provides an overview of some of the best third-party modules for Perl programmers trying to master the nuances of network programming.
Intermediate Perl: Beyond The Basics of Learning Perl
This is another great book by O’Reilly Media for Perl programmers. This book is more geared towards intermediate programmers that are trying to make the most of the language. It focuses more on packages, namespaces, testing code and other advanced features.
Learning Perl: Making Easy Things Easy and Hard Things Possible
Randal Shwartz and his colleagues provided this great book for anyone trying to get started with Perl. It kicks off with the basics including data types, subroutines and other fundamentals.
Higher-Order Perl: Transforming Programs with Programs
Mark Dominus has taught Perl for years. This book is geared towards Perl programmers that are coming from a background in C or Unix programming. It is great for functional programmers that want to master the ins and outs of object-oriented programming and take their programming skills to the next level.
Programming Perl: Unmatched power for text processing and scripting
This is another amazing book from Tom Christiansen. If you want to become more proficient with Perl, you may want to get it with his other books.
Object Oriented Perl: A Comprehensive Guide to Concepts and Programming Techniques
Damian Conway wrote this great book for anyone trying to learn more about the nuances of object-oriented programming with Perl. It helps anyone trying to go from being a novice Perl programmer to a master.
Effective Perl Programming: Ways to Write Better, More Idiomatic Perl (Effective Software Development)
This book has been updated for the most recent idioms and is nearly twice as thick as the original book. It helps you come up with the most expressive techniques as a Perl programmer.