Normally by the time a book hits my shelf the material is outdated, not necessarily useless, just not the most up to date. This is an exception.

Among the hundreds of such reference manuals available, one that I highly recommend you get a copy of is Ubuntu Unleashed 2010 5th Edition

Ubuntu Pocket Guide and Reference is a free book written by Keir Thomas, the well-known author of Beginning Ubuntu Linux and co-author of Ubuntu Kung Fu, two popular books about Ubuntu Linux.

The Official Ubuntu Server Book will help you identify and resolve the open source server’s network and hardware issues, including an unresponsive Linux host, memory issues, and network card errors.

Prentice Hall has published the fourth edition of The Official Ubuntu Book, covering the latest Ubuntu 9.04 release. As with previous versions, the fourth edition aims to bring new users up to speed on the popular Linux distro, from installation to configuration to exploring Ubuntu’s applications.

Reviewing a book in its Fourth Edition is both easy and hard. It’s easy in the sense that, unless the book has completely changed, it is still essentially the same as prior editions.

Beginning Ubuntu LTS Server Administration From Novice to Professional aims to teach all you need to know to begin administering Ubuntu Server.

For this review I’m going to skip all the fluffy, hook paragraphs and get right into the juicy insides of Ubuntu Kung Fu: Tips, Tricks, Hints and Hacks, because I know that’s what you’re looking for anyway, right?

Computers are not intuitive. Computers are abstract, and trying to tie abstract concepts like directories, files, and interfaces to paper folders and files, and physical desktops creates more confusion. I prefer a direct approach: show me.

Mark G. Sobell’s freshly revised reference work on Ubuntu Linux may be the most impressive computer book I’ve seen in the last 10 years. If you are currently stranded with a pile of abandoned computers on a desert isle, I’m telling you, this is the book.

I upgraded my Ubuntu VM to 8.10 just for this review (well, not “just” for this review, but mostly). Of course, Sobell’s second edition of this “I-weigh-a-ton” tome covers both 8.04 and 8.10, but I run 8.04 on my production machine, so I figure I’ve got the book covered.

Press release: “Focuses on core competencies and background knowledge needed to be an expert Ubuntu user;
Readable, accessible, and easy to understand—even if you’ve never used Linux before”

I was asked if I’d be interested in proof reading/reviewing this book back in the middle of September. After a few confused questions on my part, I agreed.

For those new to the Linux experience, Rickford Grant has written a series of books for No Starch Press entitled Ubuntu For Non-Geeks, now in its third edition.

How well does Keir Thomas’s new book fare in this crowded field? Does he provide actual unique value to the Ubuntu community, useful knowledge which is otherwise unavailable or hard to find? In a nutshell: Yes, he does. In fact, he hits the target pretty squarely.